


One Shots of Life at the Milkovich's

by TheHappyGeek



Series: Shamelessly Fixed Up Stories [2]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: M/M, Writer!Ian, formerEMT!ian, funeral director!Mickey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-26 11:44:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 71
Words: 102,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7572877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHappyGeek/pseuds/TheHappyGeek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a piece that I am writing in addition to my other piece called "Just Like His Dads". It is not going to be in order of years but it will always have dates associated with each chapter, each chapter will be a different one shot. It's rated M for safety. All warnings will be posted in the chapter. Feel free to suggest anything you wish to see!<br/>Thanks for reading!</p><p>Shameless U.S. is a trademark of Showtime, story and original characters are copyright 2016 by Mingus1 and itsgallavichbitch, all rights reserved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Don't Wanna

One shot #1:

September 1st 2018

Today was a hard day for the Milkovich family. Ian and Mickey had trudged out of bed and they had really tried to put on a happy face, but it was nearly impossible. Mickey sat on the edge of the bed buttoning his white shirt, “I’m not ready for this, Ian. Could we wait another year?”

Ian took the blue tie (that was especially picked out to match Mickey’s eyes) and draped it around Mickey’s neck, “No, Mick. This really can’t wait any longer. He’s growing up.” He set himself to work on Mickey’s tie. “He’ll be okay. It’ll be good for him.” Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek and then checked that his husband’s fingers were covered with concealer (they wanted to make a good impression on the first day). “I hope that he got out of bed.” Ian said with a groan. He pulled his husband close with his tie and kissed him. “He’ll be okay.”

Ian left the room and went to go check on Yev’s progress on getting ready, “Yevy. Are you getting ready?”

Yevy stood in the room butt naked, “Yes.”

Ian kneeled on the floor where the clothes were laid out, “Let’s get you dressed buddy.”

“No!” Yevy screamed as he started to run.

Ian was soon following the path that Yevy had ran. Due to this happening on multiple occasions, he knew where to find Yev.

Under the master bedrooms bed.

Mickey smiled as Ian walked into the room and gestured for him to come closer, Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s neck as Mickey whispered, “Under the bed. Naked. Again.”

Ian sighed, “Where’s Yevy? Where’s Yevy?” He picked up the sheets and he started hearing giggles. “He must be around here somewhere.”

Yevy poked his head out from under the bed, “I’m here, Daddy.”

“There you are!” Ian said as he pulled his son out and up from under the bed. “Time to get you dressed for preschool. You don’t want to be late for your first day.”

Yev drove his face into Ian’s neck and nuzzled his face in, “No, Daddy.”

Mickey wrapped his arms around Ian’s waist, “Why don’t you let me take him. You need to get ready for work, tough guy.” He kissed Ian’s neck.

Ian handed the heavy three year old over to Mickey and Mickey left with the child to dress him.

Ian pulled on his work pants, a white tee shirt (which he tucked in of course), threw on his paramedics jacket, and then put on his regulation shoes. When he went to the bathroom to make sure that he looked decent he noticed how tired he looked, he was tired, but it was all worth it. He had an amazing life with his husband and their son, who was growing up way too fast for his taste.

Within what seemed like moments Yev was dashing into the bathroom in black jeans and a black and grey striped shirt. Ian was stunned for a second because Yev looked so very similar to his husband. He looked like a clone of Mickey that was just a lot smaller. His hair was sticking up in all directions, “Mickey!” Ian shouted trying to get his husband’s attention from another room.

His husband soon came jogging in, “Yeah, hon?”

“Ooh! Hon? That’s a new one. Anyways. You need to either take Yev to get his haircut or do it yourself, and based on last time that’s going to be difficult.” Ian grabbed a spray bottle from below the sink and started spraying Yev’s black hair to try to get it to stay down.

Yev whined, “No.”

“That part’s done bud.” He took a comb and gently combed his son’s hair to the side and made it look more presentable.

“Yeah. I’ll deal with it when I’m done with work. I’m picking him up at 12. Don’t worry. And then he can go play in my office.”

Ian rolled his eyes as he picked Yev up and carried him out to the kitchen, “I don’t want him around dead people, Mick.”

Mickey started the coffee maker and pulled out their portable coffee cups, “He’s not going to be near my table. If anything the only thing that he will see are my pumps and bottles of chemicals that are up high so that he can’t grab them. I have a computer. I’ll put a tv show on.”

“Okay. That sounds better. Make sure that he doesn’t get into anything dangerous.” Ian kissed the top of Yev’s head as he made Yev a bowl of cereal.

The three year old was sitting at the table patiently waiting for one of his father’s to deliver his cereal.

“Yev. What do you want to drink?” Mickey asked as he headed to the fridge.

Yev looked at his feet and kicked them in his booster seat, “Apple.”

“Apple it is.” Mickey poured apple juice into a sippy cup and handed it to his son who accepted it with his chubby little hands.

Ian put the cereal on the table (classic cheerios with strawberries sliced on top), “Yev, what do you say to Daddy Mick?”

“Thank youuuu!” Yev screeched.

Ian put his hand on Yev’s shoulder, “Yev, what have I told you about using your indoor voice?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Ian said as the small child wrapped himself around Ian’s mid section.

Mickey kissed the top of his son’s head and then went to go pour the coffee.

After the coffee had been poured they all sat around the table for breakfast. Mickey ate cereal and a banana along with his coffee and Ian made an egg for himself, “Mick, what time do you get off work?”

“No later than 3. Then we’ll be home. You can text me when you are ready to be picked up at work.”

“Sounds good.”

When their meal was complete they stashed the dishes in the sink and packed the baby bag with anything that Yevy might need throughout the day, such as an extra change of clothes, some toys, a pacifier, a spoon, wipes, a book, any thing to keep him functioning for the time that he would be away from his parents.

Before they left the house Mickey made sure to ask if Yev needed to go potty, the answer was no and so they were off.

They headed to their new apartment buildings parking garage and found their car. The slightly beat up red Honda Civic that was actually a wonderful car. Ian was in charge of getting Yev into the carseat as Mickey was in charge of loading the baby equipment.

Once everything was ready Mickey took the wheel, as he now officially was a legal driver, and Ian took the passengers seat and they left for a small suburb that they both worked in and that Yev was going to go to preschool in.

The suburb was only twenty minutes away which was a nice commute for the Milkovich’s as it meant that Ian would never have to respond to a call at his own home and that he would never have to deal with the danger of being a paramedic in a big city. It was easier and less stressful on the family and it also provided them a safe distance so that they didn’t have to be constantly thinking about their work when they were at home.

The only unfortunate thing about the drive was the fact that for twenty minutes they had to listen to CDs of children's music, which to Ian and Mickey was very boring, and Mickey was starting to swear that if he heard The Wheels on the Bus one more time he would become homicidal.

Mickey pulled the car into the pre school's parking lot and parked the car, “You get him out?”

“Sure.” Ian said as he got out of the car.

They got Yev out of the car and the baby bag. They headed up towards the door of the pre school it was a squat building that was very nice looking and it had a nice and safe looking gated playground in the back.

Ian and Mickey entered the building and found the teacher in the hallway.

Ian clutched Yev closer to his chest.

“Hello, I’m Ms. Smithson.” The woman was rather short (around Mickey’s height) she reached her hand out and Mickey shook it.

“I’m Mickey Milkovich, and this is my husband Ian Milkovich, and this is our son Yevgeny Milkovich.”

“Hi Yevgeny.”

“Hi.” Yev hid his face in Ian’s paramedic jacket.

They made some small talk and then it was time for Yev to go play with all the other kids.

Mickey scooched closer to Ian and the teacher gave them time to say goodbye.

Ian rubbed Yev’s back, “Be a good boy today okay? Daddy and I will take you for ice cream tonight if you are good.”

Yev nodded but started to cry.

Mickey’s heart started shattering, his little boy was growing up, “Kiddo. It’ll be okay.” He motioned for Ian to pass Yev over, which Ian did. The crying baby was soon in his arms and soon he was trying to calm him down, “Yev. Calm down.” He rubbed Yev’s back as Ian reached into the baby bag and grabbed his lovey. Ian handed Yev the dinosaur and Yev held onto it tightly as he rubbed his face into Mickey’s jacket shoulder.

“I don’t wanna, Daddy.”

Mickey’s eyes watered and he turned to the wall so that no one would see, “I’ll be back soon to get you. Okay? Be good.” He pressed a kiss to his son’s head and then one of the several teachers came up to Mickey and took Yev away which resulted in an increase of screaming and crying as he was led down the hallway.

Ian hung up the baby bag on Yev’s cubbies hook and then wrapped his arms around Mickey who buried his face in Ian’s shoulder. Ian buried his face in Mickey’s hair.

They were both so emotional, they both had agreed that they would try to maintain their strength but they couldn’t when the moment actually came.

“I don’t wanna leave him, Ian.” Mickey said as he picked up his head and wiped his eyes and sniffed trying to make himself look like he hadn’t been crying.

Ian kissed the tip of Mickey’s nose, “It’s just for a few hours. And then he’ll be back with us.”

Mickey nodded as he grabbed Ian’s hand. They could hear Yev crying and they knew that they needed to get out for their own sake. They exited the pre school, returned to the car, and reluctantly drove to work.


	2. Blue + Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely maryellen590 who asked for information on how Ian and Mickey got married and when! So here it is! THE WEDDING SCENE!

One Shot #2:

December 1 2014

Mickey shook in his black suit and purple tie, he was fucking nervous. He wanted to make sure that he looked perfect. It was the day.

A hand touched his shoulder, “Mick, are you almost ready?” Mandy asked as she looked him over.

“I don’t know. Why am I nervous Mandy?” He ran his hands over his face and noticed that his hands are shaking. “I shouldn’t be like this. I wasn’t like this with Svetlana.”

Mandy laughed and sat down on Mickey’s bed, “It’s because you love him. You didn’t love Svetlana that’s why you weren’t nervous. The nerves are a good thing Mick.”

Mickey reached out his hands and grabbed Mandy’s hand, “Mandy?”

“Yeah, Mick?” She asked twirling on her heel which made her black skirt and hair fly around as she turned around.

Mickey inhaled and then slowly exhaled, “Will you walk me down the aisle? I know it’s queer. But Ian wants someone to give both of us away. Fiona’s giving him away.”

Mandy smiled at him, “No problem. But on one condition.”

Mickey smirked, “What?”

“I get to fix your hair. It looks like shit.”

Mickey nodded and Mandy went to work fixing her brother’s hair.

Mandy combed his hair back, “Terry’s gonna kill you. Good thing he’s in prison.”

Her brother looked at his fingers and let his finger that was tattooed with the letter “K” graze over the finger tattooed with the third in a series of “U”s , it was the finger that would soon be housing a ring tying him to the man he loved, “I know. But I would do anything for Ian. I can’t change who I am.”

“I know. That’s the only reason I’m letting you marry him, fuckwad. Especially since that Russian whore has a baby on the way. By the way, how is this marriage even legal?”

“We signed divorce papers and they went through in October. I can get married legally.

Mandy got up, “You’ll do okay, Mick.”

He smiled and then they headed out of his bedroom.

Svetlana was sitting on the couch in her red dress that showed off her lovely baby bump, “So you marry orange boy now?”

“Yeah.”

“Good for you.”

Mandy checked the clock in the kitchen, “Mickey and Svetlana we gotta go. You don’t wanna be late to your own damn wedding Mick.”

They all packed into the maroon car and headed down toward city hall where Ian and Mickey were going to get married.

 

 

“Ian get your ass down here you’re going to be late!” Fiona said as she grabbed Liam from the kitchen.

Ian came running down the stairs, “Okay. Okay. I’m ready. Do I look okay? I don’t wanna fuck up!”

Fiona smiled and wrapped her arms around her brother, “You’ll be fine. You look handsome. Mickey will be practically eating you up.”

“Oh please don’t say that.”

The troop exited the house and waited at the bus station.

Lip came over to him and wrapped his arm around his neck, “So. You’re marryin’ Milkovich?! Jesus christ! Never thought I would see the day.” He put his cigarette in his mouth.

“Yeah. We’re getting married. Finally.”

“You taking his name?”

Ian smirked, “Not yet. That’ll be after the baby is born. I don’t know if I really want to change it.”

“That’s reasonable.” Lip said as he took his arm back.

The bus arrived and they all clamored onto it and headed off to city hall.

 

 

When they arrived at city hall, Ian immediately spotted Mickey and went over to him, “Hi, sexy.”

Mickey smirked as Ian quickly ran his hand over Mickey’s ass, “Ready to get married?”

“Yeah.” Mickey looked down at his fiance’s (soon to be husband’s) package, erect. “You gotta get that thing down.”

Ian smiled, “I hope I can. You look really nice, Mick.”

“You do as well.”

An abrupt voice, which was identified as Lip’s, shouted, “Hey! Lovebirds! It’s time!”

Ian clasped onto Mickey’s hand quickly and squeezed it, “Are you ready?”

“Very. Also nervous.” Mickey said as Ian let go of his hand.

“Me too.”

Fiona and Mandy approached them and grabbed their brothers hands.

The family filed into the small courtroom that was pretty much reserved as a wedding destination. Family members (including V, Kev, and their girls, and Svetlana) were seated in the first two rows of pews. Ian was on one side of the room with Fiona and Mickey was on the other with Mandy and the judge was in the middle.

Both parties joined in the middle of the room and Fiona and Mandy joined Ian and Mickey’s hands together. They squeezed each other’s hands as the judge said, “Do you Ian Clayton Gallagher take Mikhailo Aleksander Milkovich to be your lawfully wedded husband. So long as you both shall live.”

“I do.” Ian said as he squeezed Mickey’s hand and looked into his lover’s blue eyes.

“Do you Mikhalio Aleksander Milkovich take Ian Gallagher to be your lawfully wedded husband. So long as you both shall live.”

Mickey looked into Ian’s green eyes, the eyes that were currently filling with tears and that were smiling at him, “Fuck yeah I do!”

“Then I pronounce you married. You may kiss the groom.”

Mickey shifted his feet nervously and then put his hands on both sides of Ian’s face and pulled Ian in for a kiss. The whole family was watching and Mickey didn’t give a shit. He just didn’t give a shit, this was their day. This was their wedding day, he wasn’t going to be embarrassed.

Instead of boo-ing as a response there was screaming and shouting and rejoicing, everyone was happy that they were married.

The judge put a stand with a document in between them and told them to sign on the dotted line. They each signed their specific spots and then kissed again.

Ian and Mickey grabbed hands and people shouted all smiling and happy.

It was finally time to party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: Felt obligated to change his name because I don't want to confuse people who see him as Mikhalio.


	3. Toast and Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to maryellen590 for suggesting the party for the wedding ceremony!

One shot #3

December 1st 2014

Ian and Mickey happily rode side-by-side on the bus to the street that the Alibi occupied. Ian’s hand was wrapped around Mickey’s and he was toying with the pristine new wedding band that was now displayed on Mickey’s hand.

“Mick, we’re married.” Ian said as he looked at Mickey’s blue eyes.

Mickey nodded and pushed Ian’s hair out of his face, “Yeah, Gallagher. We are.”

Ian smiled as the bus made a stop, “I like being married to you.”

“Ditto.”

Ian leaned closer to Mickey and put his lips so close to Mickey’s ear that they grazed it, “We can have marital sex.”

“Of course that’s what you’re thinking of.” Mickey said as he rolled his eyes and smirked.

Ian returned to his normal position, which also included fucking around with Mickey’s ring, “Don’t worry I won’t bore you. We won’t be that married couple.”

The bus pulled up to the street that held the Alibi and Ian and Mickey were the first one’s off the bus, with the parts of their family who took the bus instead of cars trailing behind them.

Kev unlocked the door and soon people were swarming in. It was a closed party. A short guest list of Ian’s siblings, Ian’s mother, Mandy, Mickey’s brothers, Kev and V and their kids, and Svetlana.

Svetlana was sitting a decent distance away from the alcohol talking to Debbie and Mickey’s brothers were at the bar, drinking up all the free liquor they could.

Mickey and Ian were allowed in last because everyone wanted them to be introduced as a married couple, so when they were finally allowed in they grabbed each other’s hands and walked into the bar as Kev announced, “And now entering Mr. and Mr. Milkovich? Gallagher?”

Ian laughed and shook his head, “For now I’m keeping my last name and so is Mickey.”

Kev cleared his throat, “Announcing the arrival of the newlyweds Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Milkovich! Let’s give ‘em a round of applause everyone!”

The crowd erupted into clapping and cheering as Ian and Mickey took their seat at their table which had been clearly marked as theirs by the overwhelming amount of photos and spam of their relationship, also not to mention a placard that said,

“Newlyweds only. Anyone else. You’re dead.”

Kev continued, “And now for a series of toasts. Ian and Mickey I have provided you a lovely sparkling white grape juice courtesy of Amazon instead of champagne due to the fact that you both have given up alcohol. First toaster is.... Uhh... Mickey.”

Mickey nodded and grabbed his glass of sparkling white grape juice as Ian sat there stunned.

Mickey grabbed the microphone from Kev and stood in front of everybody. “Uh. Yeah. So. I’m Mickey. You probably know that, since you are at my wedding. I want to make a toast to my husband, Ian. We’ve been through a fuckin’ lot of shit and we’ll go through a lot more, but we can do it because of him. You’re fuckin’ amazing, Ian.” Mickey raises his glass just as a tear starts to slip free from his eye, “To Ian Gallagher, the man I love.”

“To Ian Gallagher.” The crowd repeated.

Mickey hurried back to his chair where Ian was sitting red eyed and sniffling, “I love you.”

“I love you.” They embraced for a moment but were interrupted by Kev

Kev spoke through the microphone, “Ian.”

Ian got up and grabbed the microphone and wiped his eyes before he started, “Sorry. Got a little emotional there. So. Where to start. My toast is for Mickey. Mickey is amazing. He keeps me on my toes and still manages to make me feel safe. It’s going to be really interesting to be married to him, but really wonderful. So, this toast is for Mickey.”

“To Mickey.”

After the rest of the toasts were done it was dancing time (which was held where the pool table usually was), and Ian couldn’t lie, but Mickey tore it up on the dance floor- and he was insanely jealous. As the night progressed on through the dancing became more and more risque which was good for Ian as he had worked in the club.

Finally at 9 o’clock it was time to cut the cake. It was a vanilla cake with little gay men on top and purple flowers that was sitting on the counter of the bar and Mickey with Ian behind him gripped the knife along with Ian and they ever so gracefully sliced into the cake slicing into it.

Slices were cut but before anyone could eat it was cake time for Ian and Mickey. They stood face to face and started almost laughing. Fiona handed Ian a piece of cake on a plate and Mandy handed Mickey a piece of cake on a plate and then forks to each. Mickey and Ian fed each other cake and Ian grabbed a small scoop of cake and smeared it on Mickey’s face, the purple and white masking his expressions. Mickey then followed in suit.

It wasn’t long before they were making out with their faces completely covered in cake and frosting.

“You’re beautiful.” Mickey said as their lips parted for a moment.


	4. Consumate--  There be sex in here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning Sex-- 
> 
> This is the final chapter for the wedding sequence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to a lot of my commenters who wanted the consummation covered! :) Sorry it's so short I wanted it short and sweet. 
> 
>  
> 
> WARNING SEX!!

**WARNING!!!! SEXXXX!**  

One Shot #4

 

December 2 2014

Ian and Mickey stumbled into the dark Milkovich household at 2 a.m. making out.

Mandy had found somewhere else to stay the night, and Mickey’s brother decided to leave the house to Ian and Mickey so that they could consummate their marriage.

Mickey slammed the door behind them and locked the door, just for safety, “let’s get into bed.” He fumbled with getting Ian’s zipper down, “I can’t wait to fuck you.”

“Then get me into the bedroom, Mr. Milkovich.”

Mickey took Ian’s hand and pulled him towards their bedroom.

He opened the door slowly and Ian’s jaw dropped. Instead of the normal harsh lighting the room was dark and lit only by red candles that were lit around the room. The sheets had been changed (a very rare occurrence in the Milkovich household) to clean crisp white sheets. The room was clean and it smelled amazing, “Mickey, this is amazing.” Ian said as he wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist.

Mickey blushed, “Mandy helped with the candles. I wanted to make it nice.” He pressed his forehead against Ian’s.

“It’s really nice. Thank you, Mickey.” Ian pulled Mickey closer. “My husband.”

Mickey’s arms went around Ian’s neck and he buried his fingers in his lover’s red hair, “Mmm. Husband? I like it.” Mickey said as he pulled lightly on Ian’s purple tie.

Ian backed up so that he was sitting on the bed.

They took of their suits and got into the bed together.

Ian grabbed the lube from the bedside drawer and coated his finger as Mickey got on all fours. Ian’s fingers started playing with Mickey’s opening, inserting one finger, then two, then three, “How’s that, Mick.”

“It’s great.” Mickey said as Ian’s fingers found his prostate.

Ian smirked as Mickey moaned, “You like that.”

Mickey pushed back on Ian’s fingers as a ‘yes’ response.

Ian’s fingers slowly came in and out as Mickey grew tense from the teasing, “Just fuck me.”

Ian lubed up his cock and slipped it into Mickey, slowly pushing it in and out, kissing his back, “I love you, Mickey Milkovich. I love you so fuckin’ much.”

Mickey smiled to himself, “I love you too, Army.”

“Do you wanna try lotus?”

“Sure.” Mickey panted.

Ian sat down on the bed and opened his hips wide so that Mickey could slip on.

Mickey slipped onto his cock and Ian wrapped his arms around the shorter man’s waist and Mickey’s arms around Ian’s neck.

Ian nibbled Mickey’s neck and sucked on his skin in multiple causing several hickeys to pop up, “You’re gorgeous Mickey.” Ian said as Mickey rode his cock slowly.

Their chests pressed together, the sweat meshing together and combining on their chests.

Mickey pressed kisses to Ian’s neck violently, “I fuckin’ love you, Gallagher.”

It took a few more minutes until they came together. Afterwards, Ian and Mickey collapsed on the bed.

“Mick, we’re married.” Ian said as he pressed a kiss to Mickey’s chest.

Mickey smirked, “That’s what the paper says doesn’t it.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Ian’s head, “Yes, we’re married.”


	5. So Fuckin' Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For all my commenters who wanted the birth of Yevgeny. Sorry it's a little unconventional. Trust me the original version I wrote was a lot worse.

One Shot #4:

February 10th 2015

“Mickey, where the fuck are the bags!” Ian shouted as he frantically looked around.

Mickey ran into the bedroom and checked under the bed and found the baby bag, “Here’s the fucker.”

“Car! Car! Car! We gotta go!” Ian said as he grabbed a jacket for him and a sweatshirt for Mickey. “Don’t forget the keys! Did we get everything?!”

“I don’t fucking know!” Mickey said as he grabbed Ian’s hand and started to drag him out of the house, “Oh shit! Your meds. Go get in the car and I’ll be there in a second. Is the chair thing in there?”

“Yeah.” Ian said as he opened the door to the house and left the house slamming the door behind him.

Mickey went to the bedside table and grabbed all the pill bottles and made a mad dash for the door, making sure that it locked behind him.

Ian was in the driver’s seat, the baby bag in the back, “I can’t believe it’s time!” Ian said as he started the car, hoping that the car wouldn’t have any trouble starting in the February coldness and all the snow. “But why the fuck did they call at the last fuckin’ minute?”

“Svetlana said that she wanted to give birth alone with her woman friend. So I gave her that.” Mickey said as he put his feet up on the dashboard.

“Mickey! How could you do that?!”

“She wanted privacy.” Mickey said as he played with his shirt sleeves.

Ian stopped at a red light and nervously hit the steering wheel rapidly, “Fuck traffic.”

“Why are you nervous? I’m the one who’s becoming a dad.” Mickey said as he turned on the radio.

Ian smiled as the light turned green, “Because you are becoming a dad. And babies are awesome. And because to some extent I am going to be in this child’s life.”

“Well, you are going to be.”

“What do you mean?” Ian said as he looked at Mickey shocked.

Mickey sighed, “I should have told you earlier. Svetlana, she doesn’t want the baby. She went from wanting the baby to not wanting the baby. At this point the baby is either going up for adoption or I’m going to have to step up. She just decided yesterday. She called me and told me that she doesn’t want it.”

“Mick, you should have told me earlier.”

“I know. But I just found out. I wish I could have told you earlier, Gallagher.”

Ian sighed, “So... I’m gonna like really gonna be a dad.”

“Yeah. Full time.”

“Sounds good. Better than originally planned. Holy fuck I’m gonna have a kid!” Ian said with a chuckle as he nearly pumped the accelerator too hard.

Mickey smiled, “So you’re not mad?”

“Not really. Maybe a little. But I don’t think it will matter so much soon.”

 

 

It didn’t matter almost at all because once they arrived at the hospital they were told to go upstairs to Maternity and so they hustled up to the fifth floor which housed all the pregnant women. When Mickey asked about Svetlana he was told that she did not want any visitors and that they needed to wait outside in the waiting room until a doctor or the woman inside the room came out.

Ian and Mickey eased into their chairs in the waiting room and Ian nervously kicked his feet against the floor, “I can’t believe she won’t let us fuckin’ go in. It’s not like she’s gonna be the one taking care of that baby. She said she doesn’t want it.”

Mickey fumbled his hands together and tried to stay calm, “Ian, it’ll be okay.”

“It’s gonna be our kid though, Mick. Our kid. And we can’t even see it come out.”

Mickey placed his hand on his husband’s back trying to offer some consolation, “It’s okay, Ian. I’m sorry though. For throwing this all at you.”

“This is better than the original plan. I don’t know if I could have dealt with sharing the baby with Svetlana.” Ian said as he checked the baby bag for the thousandth time. “So it’s gonna be our baby now. What’s the difference. I’m gonna love the kid no matter what.”

The door to the maternity wing flung open and a brunette Russian woman said some random words in Russian the only words that Mickey and Ian could make out where, “Ian and Mickey.”

They followed her down the wing, assuming that she was the woman that Svetlana was currently seeing, and were led to a room that was lit with fluorescent lights. She did not enter with them but once they were in the room she closed the door and left.

There was a curtain encircling the bed and when they pulled it back they Svetlana sitting with a plastic bassinet pushed far away from her.

“Yevgeny. Take care of him Mickey and Carrot Boy. I be mother on documents. You take baby. You take Yevgeny.”

Ian muttered the named under his breath, liking the way that it sounded, but feeling slightly angry at Svetlana for naming the child without consult. He approached the bassinet and found a sleeping baby, all swaddled up.

Svetlana excused herself for a bathroom break as Mickey wrapped his arms around Ian’s waist.

 

“It’s our son, Mickey.” Ian said as he brushed his finger over the child’s cheeks. “Should I pick him up? I’m gonna pick him up.” Ian said with a smile. Ian picked up the baby, “Hi Yevgeny. Welcome to the world. Happy birthday little guy.” Ian jostled the baby in his arms and reached with his free hand for the pacifier that was abandoned in the bassinet.

“What’s with the voice?”

“Trust me. You’ll pick it up.” Ian said as Mickey kissed his neck.

“You fuckin’ happy, Ian?” Mickey asked with a smile.

Ian turned around and kissed his husband, “Yes. I’m so fuckin’ happy.”


	6. Lincoln Logs, Trains, and Books

One Shot #5:

June 10th 2019

“Yevy. Come here feel her kick.” Mandy said as she motioned for the young boy to come over to her. She was sitting on the couch in her brother’s new house that him and his husband had recently bought.

The child made a mad dash towards his pregnant aunt screaming, “Baby! Baby!”

Ian chuckled in his chair, “Yev. Don’t yell. Indoor voice.” He brought his finger to his lips in a motion to signal that Yev needed to quiet down.

Yev nodded and proceeded to climb up the couch to his aunt Mandy, who’s black hair was currently tied up in a ponytail and her near full term belly was exposed showing her tattoos due to the extreme heat outside.

Yev placed his ear on Mandy’s belly and listened.

“Who’s in there, Yev?” She asked the four year old as she pointed to her belly.

Yev smiled and said, “Baby s-s-sister!”

Ian smiled as Mandy ruffled Yevgeny’s hair and maintained conversation with the lively child, “That’s right. Your baby sister is in there.”

Yev raised his eyebrows, “W-w-why?”

“Because that’s where babies stay until they are ready to come out. They stay in their mommy’s tummies.” Mandy said as Yev picked his head up.

Ian knew that they were going to play the question game. The game where Yev would ask questions. Mickey and him had talked about the day that they would tell Yev about his mother, he just didn’t think that he would have to do it alone.

“B-b-but what about me? D-d-did I come from daddy’s tummy?” Yev asked as he pointed to Ian’s stomach.

Ian shifted in his chair uncomfortably, “Yev. Come here.”

Yev slipped off the chair and padded over to his dad. Ian lifted him up and placed him on his knee and looked into his child’s eyes, his child’s blue eyes. The eyes that he had gotten from Mickey. Hoping that they wouldn’t fill with tears soon, “Yev. Before you were born Daddy Mick knew a lady named Svetlana. Svetlana is your mommy, you were in her tummy. Daddy Mick is the daddy that created you, but that doesn’t mean that I love you any less. You are still my son. I’m still one of your daddies.” Ian was ready for the world to explode at that moment.

Yev smiled at his dad and kissed his dad’s cheek, “O-o-okay. C-can I go play now, Daddy?”

Ian’s lips pressed a kiss to the top of his son’s head. There would be a day when him and Mickey had a formal talk about Svetlana and what she was to them, but that time wasn’t now. “Sure, kiddo.”

Yev hopped off Ian’s lap and went back to his train set as if nothing shocking had happened.

Mandy looked at Ian her eyes glum, “I’m so sorry, Ian. I didn’t mean to make that conversation happen without Mickey. It just slipped out.” She recoiled into the chair. A tactic that she had gained over the several years of abuse she had taken from her father.

Ian got out of his chair slowly making sure not to freak her out, “It’s okay, Mand. Mickey and I knew that this conversation was going to happen soon because of the baby. He’s at the age where he asks questions. It’s healthy, but for now we can’t mention how he was conceived until he’s older. We don’t want him to think that he’s a burden or that he’s a terrible person because he was born from ‘that’. When he’s older and he asks he’ll know the full story, but not now. Anyways, it’s okay. He had a question and you handled it well. He’s asking good questions about why things are the way things are. It’s a good thing.” Ian said as he covered Mandy’s hand with his own.

He watched his child play on the floor happily. Slamming wooden trains together making them crash violently.

Mandy smiled at Ian, “Thanks, Ian. I just get worried about overstepping.”

“It’s okay.” Ian said as he patted her hand.

The backdoor to the house opened and Yev went running, “Daddy!” He shrieked as he ran into Mickey’s welcoming arms.

Mickey picked him up and flipped him upside down in his arms, “How are you, monkey boy?”

Yev laughed, “G-good!” as Mickey returned him to right side up.

“Play nicely, boys.” Ian said as he approached his husband and son in order to greet his husband. “Hi, Mick.” He leaned in for a quick kiss and his lips were met with Mickey’s ultra soft lips.

“Hey, babe.” Mickey said as they broke the kiss.

“E-ewww!” Yev announced as he hid his face in his father’s shoulder.

Ian smirked, “What’s wrong with kisses, Yev? Huh?”

Mickey and Ian then proceeded to attack their son with a bombardment of kisses to the top of his head and his cheeks as Yev laughed.

Mandy sat on the couch beaming. She had never seen her brother as happy ever in his life as when he was with Ian and Yev.

“D-daddy Mick, I wanna go play now.” Yev said.

Mickey pressed a final kiss to the top of Yev’s head, “Alright, buddy.” He put Yev down and then went upstairs to the office (which was becoming a nursery slowly) and put his satchel down on the desk chair and went back downstairs.

Ian was sitting at the kitchen table with Mandy and Yev hovering over him, “Mick, we’re gonna order out. Pizza?”

“Pizza sounds good.” Mickey said as he went to the fridge and got out a non- alcoholic beer. “Mandy, you stayin’”

“Nah. I got a date.” Mandy said as she grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter. “I’ll see you guys soon I guess.”

“Yeah!” Ian said as he hugged her.

Yev hugged her and then pressed a kiss to her belly as usual.

When Mandy left Ian and Mickey ordered their pizza and Yev continued playing until he wanted to watch a movie. After a long time trying to decide on what movie he should watch, Yev finally chose the movie Peter Pan, which Mickey happily put in the dvd player.

Ian and Mickey kept a close eye on Yev from the kitchen and Ian brought up the discussion, “Mickey. He asked where he came from today.”

“What did you say?”

“I said what we agreed on. I explained that Svetlana was his mom, not under what circumstances, and that we are his daddies. That you created him, but I still love him and yada yada yada.”

Mickey stood behind Ian and wrapped his arms around Ian’s waist and kissed his neck, “How did he respond?”

“Like it was no big deal. He went off and played.” Ian said with a smile as he looked at their son playing joyfully on the carpet in the other room, smashing trains into each other.

Mickey’s arms tightened a little, bringing Ian closer, “That’s good.”

Ian nodded as he turned around and pressed their lips together, “How was work?”

“Good. Nothing new. Did some clean ups. Made some ears. All’s good.”

“Good.” Ian said as he smiled at the shorter man and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

A smile crossed Mickey’s face and he pulled Ian in for another short kiss, “I’m gonna go play with him.”

Ian nodded, a strand of his red hair falling into his face as Mickey left to go play with Yev on the floor. He followed behind Mickey and sat on the floor as well. Mickey was helping to assemble the wooden tracks for the trains with Yev as Ian assembled houses out of Lincoln Logs.

“D-daddies, c-can we build a town?” Yev asked as he got up and moved to sit between both of his parents on the floor.

Ian nodded, the strand of hair bouncing, “Sure, Yev.”

Yev shrieked a sound of delight and Mickey smiled, “Yevgeny. Indoor voice please.”

The child’s voice returned to almost a whisper, “Sorry, daddy.”

“It’s okay, buddy. Come here.” Mickey said as he opened his arms.

Yev scooted over towards Mickey and sat in his father’s lap.

Mickey soon was tickling him on the floor as Yev laughed.

Ian came over and started tickling Mickey, “Yev. Let’s tickle Daddy.” Yev then slipped out of Mickey’s grasp and managed to sit on top of Mickey, who was now on the ground, laughing his rear off, and tickle him.

Eventually it spread over to Ian being tickled and then everybody called a surrender as the pizza man rang the doorbell.

Mickey got up and opened the door looking rather disheveled, took the pizza, and paid for it, “Alright. Time for dinner, boys!”

Yev came running into the kitchen and Ian was running after him, “Alright, Yev. What do you want to drink?” Ian asked as he caught his breath and their son sat at the table.

“A-apple!”

Ian nodded and poured the beverage into a sippy cup and handed it to his son as Mickey brought over the pizza and the non- alcoholic beers.

They sat around the table eating and afterwards Mickey did the dishes as Ian took Yev upstairs for a bath.

At 7:30 it was time for Yev to go to bed so Mickey headed upstairs and into Yev’s bedroom, where his husband was pulling a pajama shirt over his son’s head.

“Alright, Yev. Into bed.” Ian said as he ushered the small boy to the twin sized bed in the room.

Yev climbed onto his bed and Mickey and Ian did as well. Climbing in so that Yev was in between them. Mickey was propped up against the mesh guard (put there so Yev would not roll off the bed) and Ian propped up against the wall.

Ian grabbed a book from the foot of the bed and started reading from it, it was a fairy tale book that featured gay couples as the princes and princesses. Ian had bought it due to Yev’s love of all types of books especially fairy tales, and because he wanted his son to see that sometimes two princes meet or two princess or a prince and a princess and that still they loved each other the same. Tonight it was the story of The Little Mermaid, however the little mermaid was a man. It was one of Yev’s favorites, because he loved that the characters resembled his daddies.

They all cuddled up really close and Ian started to read as Mickey pressed a kiss to both of his boys’ foreheads. This was what he loved.


	7. A Little Princess

One shot #6

September 21 2018

The Milkovich’s sat around the dining room table in their apartment. Ian sat next to Mickey and Mandy sat on the other side of the table.

“So... What did you want to talk about?” Mandy asked as she opened her beer that she had brought from home.

Ian looked at Mickey and Mickey shrugged, “I guess that we should ask.”

Ian nodded in response and then looked at Mandy, he gripped onto Mickey’s hand under the table, “Mandy. Mickey and I asked you to come over because.. Well... we have a very large favor to ask of you. We want you to know that even if you say no, that’s okay.”

Mandy shrugged, “Sure. I mean I know why I’m here.”

“Really?” Ian and Mickey asked simultaneously.

Mandy looked at them, “You want me to rent my womb to you.”

Ian sighed a sigh of utter relief, “Yeah. That actually was what we were going to ask.”

Mandy broke eye contact and looked at her hands that were folded in her lap, “Of course I will. But on one condition, I am allowed to buy said womb child all the Mickey Mouse stuff I wish.”

Ian and Mickey nodded and Ian explained the situation, "we've decided that we would want to ask you if you would donate an egg too, so that it has both of our family's genes.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Mickey breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank god. Thank you, Mandy.”

“And Mandy, you won’t have any responsibility for the kid. It will be Mickey and I’s kid.”

Mandy nodded, “Sounds good. When do we do this?”

Ian smiled, “Whenever you are ready.”

“Next week?”

Mickey and Ian looked at each other, “Sounds good.”

 

 

October 21st 2018

A month later, Mandy was in the bathroom of the apartment and Mickey and Ian were nervously sitting on the couch, waiting to hear if their impregnation of Mandy had been successful.

Mickey clutched onto Ian’s hand nervously and sat on the edge of the couch. They had dropped Yevgeny off at Fiona’s an hour ago so that they could have some time to themselves.

“Mandy. Why are you takin’ so fuckin’ long?!” Mickey shouted.

Mandy shouted from behind the closed door, “Shut up, asswipe. It takes the stick a while to test the pee.”

They sat there for a moment until finally Mandy walked out of the bathroom solemnly.

“It’s okay, Mands. We can try again.” Ian said as he let go of Mickey’s hand and got up off the couch.

“We’re fuckin’ pregnant!” Mandy shouted as she jumped in the air, a smile crossing her face as she leapt into Ian’s arms.

“Holy fuck!” Mickey said as he got up off the couch.

Ian squeezed Mandy, “Let me see! Let me see!”

She produced the stick which had two very clear lines, “False positives are really rare.” She smiled as Ian let go of her to check the stick and Mickey wrapped his arms around his partners waist from behind.

“Mick, we’re pregnant. We’re actually fuckin’ pregnant.” Ian said as he smiled at the little miracle stick. He turned around in Mickey’s arms and pressed his face into Mickey’s shoulder.

Mickey pressed his face into Ian’s shoulder as they both started crying.

Mickey was hiding the fact that he was crying, but Ian could hear him. He rubbed Mickey’s back, “We’re gonna have another baby, Mick. A little Milkovich.”

 

 

February 21st 2019

Three months later, Ian, Mickey, and Yev were at the Gallagher’s house dropping Yev off so that Ian, Mickey, and Mandy could go to the OB-GYN to get an ultrasound. This was the big ultrasound, the one that was going to tell them whether their baby was a little girl or a little boy.

There was a board in the kitchen of the Gallagher house that was labelled with everyone’s names and whether they thought that it was a girl or a boy. On team girl were: Ian, Mandy, Fiona, V, Debbie, and Yev. On team boy was: Carl, Kev, Mickey, Lip, and Liam. On team gay was: Frank (he had made it abundantly clear one night when he was drunk [when was he ever not drunk] that the child would not be a girl or a boy but a gay. So he wrote another section on the board for ‘gay’. It did bug Ian and Mickey, but it was Frank).

Fiona took Yev into her arms as Yev squealed, “Aunt F-fi!”

“Yevgeny. Indoor voice. Please.” Mickey said as Fiona bounced Yev in her arms.

Yev looked at the floor, “I’m s-sorry daddy.”

“Not to me. To Aunt Fi.” Mickey said as he dropped the diaper bag on the coffee table.

“I’m s-sorry Aunt F-fi.” Yev stuttered as he wrapped his arms around Fiona’s neck.

Fiona stroked his hair and squeezed him, “It’s okay.”

Ian finally returned from using the bathroom, “Thanks for watching him, Fi.”

“It’s no problem. I love watching him. I hope things go well at the doctors.” Fiona said with a smile as she put Yev down.

Yev went running into the kitchen and Ian wrapped his arm around Mickey’s waist and pulled him close, “It will. We should get going, Mick. We gotta pick up Mandy.”

At the OB-GYN, Mandy was put on the ultrasound table and Mickey and Ian clutched hands as the nurse set to work on taking pictures. The nurse allowed a picture of the baby’s face to come up on the screen, “There’s your baby.”

Ian looked at Mickey who was getting emotional. He rubbed his husband’s back with his free hand.

“The baby looks like you, Mick.” Ian said as tears came to his eyes. “He or she has your nose.”

Mandy smiled at the two of them and patted their hands.

“Would you like to know the gender?” The nurse asked as she started moving the wand on Mandy’s belly.

“Yeah.” Mickey said as he wrapped his arm around Ian’s waist and squeezed.

The nurse smiled at them, “It’s a girl.”

Ian broke at that point- letting go of Mandy’s hand and wrapping his arms around Mickey’s neck, “Mick, it’s a girl!”

They kissed passionately and hugged and then hugged Mandy who was also crying at this point.

The nurse continued the scan and finally when she went to go print out the images for the family, they all had a freak out session.

“Mickey’s gonna spoil her so badly, Ian. She’s gonna have her daddies wrapped around her little finger.” Mandy said with a smile.

That night they announced the fact that the baby was a little girl and the family erupted in cheering and shouting for joy.

 

 

June 13 2019

Ian woke up in an uncomfortable hospital chair. Mandy was having yet another contraction. Mickey was gone, supposedly to the bathroom, and so Ian sat on the edge of the bed and held Mandy’s hand. Mandy had been in labor for almost ten hours by now.

“Hey, Mands. It’s okay.” Ian said.

Mandy looked up at Ian, “Get this thing out of my vagina! Why on earth did I agree to help you and Mickey? I should have known the kid would inherit her father’s huge fucking head!”

Ian tried to keep his cool knowing Mandy was in unbearable pain. He hurriedly grabbed a cold wet wash cloth and pressed it to Mandy’s forehead, “The doctor said that it’s almost time, Mandy. She’ll be out soon.”

Mandy grabbed the collar of Ian’s tee shirt and pulled him close to her face as Mickey came back from the restroom, “Don’t tell me what the doctor said Ian or I will fucking kill you!”

“Whoa there, Mands. No one’s killin’ anyone here.” Mickey said with an uncomfortable chuckle.

“I’ll go get the doctor.”

“You do that, Gallagher!” Mandy shouted.

“I’m a Milkovich!” Ian shouted as he left the room.

“Fuckin’ bitchy queen!” Mandy said as she arched her back- another contraction.

Mickey sat in the chair next to her bed, “Breathe, Mandy. Just breathe.”

Mandy tried to breathe, but Ian then came in with the doctor, “Alright, Mandy. I’m gonna check how dilated you are.” Mandy put her legs up and the doctor ducked under her sheets. A moment later he came back up, “Well, that explains the pain. You’re at ten centimeters. Congratulations, it’s time to push. I’m gonna go get my team.” And with that the doctor left the room to organize the small army of people that would help deliver the baby.

“Mandy! Did you hear that?! It’s time to push! Only like another hour or so.” Ian said excitedly.

Mandy groaned.

When the doctor came back he and the nurses put gowns on and Ian and Mickey stood by Mandy’s side as they put her legs up in stirrups.

“Alright, Mandy, so when I tell you to push I want you to push and hold it there for ten seconds, okay.”Mandy nodded and Ian and Mickey each took one of her hands. They waited a moment for the next contraction, “Alright, Mandy. Push.”

Mandy brought her chest to her knees squeezing Ian and Mickey’s hands as she pulled herself up, “Come on out you little fucker! Get out of my vagina! Vacate!” She yelled.

When the ten seconds were over Mandy took a break for a moment in between the contractions.

Another contraction, “Push, Mands!” Ian said as he squeezed her hand tightly.

Mandy gripped onto their hands hoisting herself up as she screamed in agony with tears streaming down her face.

“She’s crowning! Only a little while longer!” The doctor said as Mandy laid back to relax for a moment.

Ian patted the wet washcloth to Mandy’s forehead, “Only a little while longer, okay?”

Another contraction came and Mandy was told to push and that if she gave a few more really hard ones, the baby would be out very very soon.

Mandy screamed as she pushed the baby’s head out.

“Head’s out! Just the shoulders now! You’re doing great, Mandy!” The doctor shouted.

Another quick break and Mandy was pushing again and screaming bloody murder.

A few seconds and there was a loud cry, “It’s a girl!” The doctor said as he handed the nurse the screaming child. Mandy sobbed as Ian and Mickey started crying. “Alright, who’s cutting the cord?”

Ian raised his hand and went up to where the nurse was drying off the newest member of the Milkovich family. The doctor handed him scissors and then went to work on helping Mandy with the afterbirth.

Mickey wrapped his arms around Ian’s waist as Ian sliced through the umbilical cord- his hands were shaking as the nurse asked, “Would you like to hold your daughter?”

Ian nodded abruptly and Mickey and him stripped off their shirts for skin-to-skin,

The nurse handed the little girl to Ian, whose tears were only falling more heavily. Mickey pressed a kiss to the back of his husband’s heads, “She’s gorgeous. She looks just like us.”

Ian nodded as he looked down at the tiny baby resting in his arms.

Mickey ran his hand over the baby’s head that was covered with a little red hair.

A nurse led them down the hall so that the doctor could clean Mandy up.

They were led into a small room with a little bed, “You can continue your skin-to-skin here.” The nurse said as she smiled at them, “If you need anything just press the intercom button on the wall.” The nurse then left them alone with their daughter.

“Mickey? Want to hold her?”

Mickey looked nervous for a moment and then nodded and took her in his arms. They sat on the edge of the bed with Mickey clutching their daughter to his chest, “She has your hair, E.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. The color may change.” Ian said as he wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist, “but she has your nose.” Ian said as he touched the tip of her nose, “Hi, princess. Welcome to the world.” He sighed. “This feels so surreal, Mickey.”

“I know.” Mickey’s gaze hadn't shifted from his daughter for even a moment.

“She’s already a daddy’s girl.” Ian said as he pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek. “She’s got you around her little finger already?”  
The tiny girl grasped onto Mickey’s fading “K” finger, “Oh yeah.”  
Ian smiled, “I’m going to go tell the family.”

“No. Wait. She should eat. Let’s hold her until Mandy’s ready to feed her,”

After Mandy had been cleaned up, Ian and Mickey brought the baby in to nurse.

“Thank you so much, Mandy.” Ian said as the little girl latched, “We can never thank you enough.”

“No problem. Just go tell everyone the good news.” Mandy said with a smile.

Ian and Mickey left the room and headed down the hallways to the family waiting room.

“Ready?” Mickey asked as Ian put his hand on the door.

“Yeah. I’m so ready.” Ian pressed the door and all of the family stood up as they entered the waiting room, “Do you want to tell them?”

Mickey smiled as the family waited patiently, “It’s a girl!”

Everyone cheered joyfully and took Ian and Mickey into their arms in celebration.

“So what’s her name?” Debbie asked as the cuddle-fest ended.

Ian smiled, “Her name is Viktoriya Amanda Milkovich.”

“Who does she look like?” Someone asked.

Mickey smiled, “She has my nose and Ian’s hair. She’s most definitely ours.”

Yevgeny came up to his parents, “D-daddies!” He shouted as he flung himself around Mickey’s legs.

Mickey picked their son up in his arms, “You’re a big brother, kiddo. You gotta protect your little sister now.” He pressed a kiss to Yevgeny’s head.

“How’s Mandy?” Fiona and Lip asked.

Ian took Yev from Mickey and held him close, “She’s good. Recovering and feeding Tori. A little exhausted.”

“Can I go see her?” Lip asked as he ran his finger’s through his hair.

“I guess one visitor wouldn’t hurt. We should ask first.”

Fiona took Yev saying that they would be back later to introduce the siblings.

Ian and Mickey took Lip back with them. Lip waited outside of the room while they asked if he could go in. Mandy agreed.

Lip sat next to Mandy’s bedside as Ian and Mickey went downstairs to get food and Tori was brought to the nursery for a bath.

Ian and Mickey ate bland hospital food and then returned up to the Maternity ward. Lip sat on Mandy’s bed still, they were holding hands.

Viktoriya was soon returned to the room and Ian and Mickey were once again all over her as Lip sat and watched Mandy rest.

Viktoriya now had that lovely newborn scent that Mickey was now becoming addicted to. He picked up the tiny girl and held her in his arms, “Hi, sweet girl.” He pressed a kiss to Viktoriya’s sweet smelling head. He loved his little princess. He loved his boys and now he also loved his sweet little girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry that this is so late. While traveling my computer died. I have no idea what's wrong with it, but it won't work. Luckily I have access to an IPad that I've been writing on so hopefully I'll be posting a little more frequently. Also sorry that this is so choppy. I was writing this in the car-- it was not an easy task. Anyways... I hope that you all enjoy!


	8. Gallagher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought of this when I was sitting on the beach and saw Army choppers flying above my head. All I could think about was Ian's chopper accident. :P

One Shot #7

_August 19th 2014_

  
Gallagher sat on his bunk awaiting the trumpet to sound signaling that it was First Call, that it was four thirty, and it was time for everybody to start getting ready for the long day ahead.

He sat there thinking of a boy who was a long ways away, who had captured his heart. A boy with dark hair, beautiful light blue eyes, and extremely expressive eyebrows. 

He had been away at “Basic” for one month. One month since he had fled his home city of Chicago in effort to get away of his relationship with said boy with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. 

He ran his fingers through his closely cropped carrot-colored hair and sighed as he envisioned that boy. He could swear that he had almost felt like he had been there that morning when he had woken up, that the boy had his arms around him like he had so many nights before Gallagher had left for Basic. Thinking of those eyes that always told Gallagher that the boy's mind was ticking away at the next plan for chaos or the next revenge scheme. He wished that he had taken more photographs with him that could serve as evidence that such a boy really did exist, and that he was even more attractive in real life. 

The sound of a trumpet woke him from his thoughts and he urgently scrambled to get dressed in his uniform: camouflage pants, a brown tee shirt that so elegantly showed his six pack, tan hot weather boots, and his camouflage cap.

He checked himself over in the 5-by-5 inch mirror that hung on the wall, making sure that his orange hair was completely covered by the camouflage patrol cap- thus fitting within army standards of the, ‘If you can hid it under your cap and won’t get in your eyes, you can keep it. Everything below must be cropped short, tapered off, and kept neat with horizontally cut sideburns.’ motto. His hair had been the object of much discussion as it was so orange as the AR 670 -1 policy states that orange could be considered a distracting color. While the majority of the recruits attending “basic” at Fort Leonard Wood were busy getting their heads shaved into regulation styles during Reception Battalion (RECBN), Gallagher had been smart enough to do so before hand, thus getting to deal with officers harassing him about his hair color instead. Gallagher had since had many conversations with higher ranking officials who simply thought that his hair color was not natural. Eventually they realized that it was indeed his natural hair color and they did not make him dye it to fit within regulations so long as he kept it under his cap and no senior officers complained about it. Today he was in luck, he wouldn’t have to fix his hair to fit within standards. Unlike the majority of the recruits, Gallagher was intent on fixing his own hair, and so long as it fit regulation he was allowed to do so. It wouldn’t be an uncommon thing to every once and awhile find him in front of the 5-by-5 mirror clippering his hair down the way that looked best and also fit within regulation. He was incredibly vain when it came to his hair, so he would not put it in the hands of someone else. 

His hand brushed against the short hairs on the back of his head, sending a little chill up his spine. He didn’t like it so short all the time, and he knew that the boy with piercing blue eyes, his Mickey, wouldn’t quite like it either. Too short for him to grab onto while they fucked. Mickey for sure wouldn’t like it, but he wasn’t there. 

Gallagher grabbed his backpack that was tossed into the corner of the room and withdrew a small photograph. A photograph of Mickey, the boy with the blue eyes, who he missed very much. He thumbed the edge of the photograph, looking into the blue eyes that he had looked into many times before. His beautiful Mickey. Mickey Milkovich. He wondered what had happened to him, he had left in such a fit last time they had seen each other that it was a blur, and he hated that. Before he had left all he wanted to do was leave Mickey and go away to the Army and now he wanted the complete opposite. He would do anything for another moment in Mickey’s bed, in his arms, being able to inhale his scent just one more time. 

“Gallagher! Let’s go!” The drill sergeant yelled from outside. 

Ian Gallagher groaned and muttered, “I’m fuckin’ coming.” He stuffed the photograph into his pocket, flung open the door, and approached the platoon.

“Gallagher! You’re late!” The drill sergeant yelled as he got close to the redheads face, spit hitting Ian’s cheeks as the drill sergeant continued, “Why in God’s name are you late recruit!?” 

Ian straightened his back and looked the drill sergeant in the eye, “I had trouble getting ready, sir!” 

“I’m not your mother! I will not wake you up every goddamn morning, recruit!” The drill sergeant yelled, spit flying. “Didn’t your mother teach you to get ready!?”

“No, sir! She was absent from my life, sir!” Ian said as he tried to pretend like there was a rod in his back keeping him straight up.

The drill sergeant got even closer to Ian’s face, so that their noses were nearly touching, “I didn’t ask, recruit! I don’t want to know your goddamn life story!” The drill sergeant turned to the group, “200 push ups! You can thank recruit Gallagher!” 

Ian and the platoon got down on the floor and got into pushup position and started as the drill sergeant barked out the numbers. 

By the time that that task was complete it was nearly five o’clock and time for Physical Training. 

The drill sergeant led the platoon out to the training facilities and left them there to start their morning exercises of calisthenics and running the track. 

Ian was one of the best runners in his platoon and so it was relatively easy for him to stay with the pace of the rest of the platoon. When the drill sergeant wasn’t looking however he snuck away into the attached bathroom.

He found a window wide open and proceeded to climb the bathroom wall and climb through the open window. 

Once outside of the training facility, Ian headed over to where the basic training choppers were kept. He didn’t know why or even how but at some point he realized that he was sitting in the chopper, hot wiring it, “Shit.” He said to himself as he burned his hand on a loose wire. 

Within a moment he got the rotors going and he was lifting the chopper off the ground.

‘ _Time to go find Mickey._ ’ He thought as he touched the piece of paper in his pocket and reached approximately 40 feet in the air.

He really had no idea what he was doing and so it wasn't at all surprising that the chopper did not get very far up in the air and he ended up tipping it over, “Fuck!” Ian said as he woke up on his side completely stunned by the fact that he had done such a bad job flying the chopper. 

He scampered out of the chopper and realized that he needed to run and he needed to do it fast, before anyone noticed that he was gone. And just like that he started running off base, leaping over all the fencing that he needed to in order to get to his ultimate goal. Mickey Milkovich, who at the present time was probably still sleeping in Chicago. 

_‘I’m comin’ for ya, Mick_.’ Ian thought as he ran.

He kept that thought in his mind as he continued running. Running for Mickey. To get home to Mickey. Until he finally made it off base and away from basic, away from where Army officials would go looking for him. By a road, waiting to hitchhike if he was lucky, and he was. A group of teenagers picked him up and drove him all the way to a train station that would help him start getting home. Home to Mickey.


	9. Cake!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Sherry for requesting that we see Yevgeny's first birthday and his first steps with Ian and Mickey having different emotions relating to the event.

One shot #8 

February 10 2016

 

It was a big day in the Milkovich household. Balloons were tied to chairs and there were streamers hanging from the walls and ceiling, and in the kitchen was a birthday cake with a candle in the shape of a number 1. Yevgeny Alexei Milkovich was turning the big one. 

Mickey and Ian sat on the bed with their son. Ian watched as his husband played a game of Peek-a-boo with Yev.  
“Peek-a-boo!” Mickey covered his eyes and then uncovered them, “Peek-a-boo, Yev!”  
Yev’s chubby hands came up to his face and he covered his eyes and giggled, “Dada!”  
Ian ran his hand over the little boy’s head smoothing his hair, “Yeah. That’s dada.”  
Mickey smiled at the little brown haired boy, “Where’s daddy Ian? Where’s daddy?” Yev turned his head and pointed a chubby finger at the red haired man who sat next to him. “That’s right! Good job, Yevy!”  
Yev started to crawl over to Ian and eventually sat in Ian’s lap, “Hi, big boy!”  
“Don’t remind me.” Mickey said as he fell back on the bed. “He can’t be one yet.”  
Ian pressed a kiss to Yev’s head, “He’s a big boy now.” Yev kicked his feet and giggled. “Aren’t you, buddy. Go give dada a hug.”  
Yev crawled out of Ian’s lap and crawled to Mickey, and then promptly collapsed on his chest.  
Mickey sat up once more and pulled the infant into his lap, “You’re still my little boy.” He hugged Yev close to his chest and Yev pulled himself up to standing by Mickey’s shoulders. He wobbled a bit as he tried to maintain a solid stance on the soft mattress. Yev babbled as Mickey pressed a kiss to his tummy, “Little man, you’re growing up way too fast.”  
Mickey sighed as the kid used his shoulder to support himself and bounce up and down.  
“When’s everybody coming over?” Mickey asked as he pulled the little boy into his arms.  
“Hopefully soon,” Ian said as he ran his fingers through his hair.  
He had been awake since six in the morning getting the party ready. Now it was finally ten in the morning and people were supposed to be arriving soon for a mid-day party.  
Yev drooled and stuck his tongue out.  
Mickey grabbed the burp cloth, which had been repurposed for cleaning drool, and wiped Yev’s mouth, “Jesus kid, you can really drool.”  
Yev giggled and clapped his hands together.  
Ian got out of the bed and picked Yev up and put him on the floor. He took Yev’s hands and helped him walk into the kitchen. Little chubby feet smacking against the ground as Yev smiled his baby grin, “You're getting so big, buddy!”  
Mickey trailed behind them, “Ian. Fuckin’ stop. I told you not to bring it up. Our baby's not growing up.”  
Ian walked the little boy into the kitchen as Mickey walked slowly behind them. Ian led Yevgeny over to the high hair and he settled him into it, placing a bowl of fruit, that had been ignored during breakfast, in front of him.  
Yev sat happily and snacked with his hands.  
“Ian, can he just not grow up?”  
Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist, “Unfortunately no. He’s gonna continue growing.”  
Mickey pressed a kiss in Yev’s hair, “Please stop growing.” He sighed, “Daddy said please.”  
Yev giggled.  
“Tell daddy no. You can’t stop growing.”  
Yev shook his head at Mickey, “No.”  
Mickey sighed in response and pressed a kiss to Ian’s forehead, “I miss him being small.”  
Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek, “Enjoy him being this small for as long as you can.”  
There was a knock at the door and Ian went to go answer it.  
Yevgeny whined as Ian left him, so Mickey lifted him out of the high chair and held his hands and walked him to the door.  
Fiona, Lip, Carl, Debbie, and Liam were at the door.  
“Happy birthday, little man!” Debbie said as she got down to Yevgeny’s eye level.  
Yev giggled and Debbie took his hands and walked him over to the living area.  
Debbie was one of Ian and Mickey’s favorite babysitters. She was always so hands on with Yevgeny, which was needed as he increased in age.  
Fiona wrapped her arms around her brother, “He’s one!”  
Mickey rolled his eyes, “Unfortunately.”  
Fiona wrapped her arms around him next, “He’s growing up. There’s nothing you can do to stop them from growing. It sucks. But he’ll be going off to college in what seems like a week.”  
Mickey nodded, “He’s just not our little boy anymore.”  
Ian took over the hug, “He’s always going to be our little boy, Mick. Always. Even when he’s thirty, he will still be our little boy.”  
Mickey smiled, “I guess.” He sniffled to try to keep his emotions at bay.  
Lip patted Mickey on the back, “Good to see you, Milkovich.”  
Mickey nodded, “Nice to see you, Lip.”  
Mickey had grown comfortable with the Gallagher’s over time. He loved them and they had accepted him as one of them. They accepted him as him, not as a false version of him that he projected to look tough.  
Lip went over to the fridge and stuck a box of beers in there as Liam roared around being chased by Carl.  
They all went over to the living area, where Debbie was trying to get Yevgeny to take his first steps.  
Ian and Mickey watched in awe as their son pulled himself up from sitting and then proceeded to stand on his own.  
Mickey opened his arms and sat on the floor, “Buddy, come here. Come to daddy.”  
Yevgeny was only a few steps away from him and he was starting to get a little wobbly.  
Ian watched as Yevgeny took a very small step, “Mick! Did you see that?! Did you fuckin’ see what our baby just did?!”  
Yev took two more steps and then fell into his father’s arms laughing.  
“Oh my god! Ian! He just walked! He just fuckin’ walked!” Mickey shouted in excitement as he picked Yevgeny up and hugged him tightly. “Good job, Yev. Good job!”  
Ian’s eyes were watering and he went over to his son to show just how proud he was. He picked the kid up and swung him around as the Gallagher’s clapped in praise.  
Ian rested the kid against his shoulder and pressed a kiss to the little boy’s head, “You’re growing up so fast, buddy.”  
Yev smiled and babbled something as Mickey pressed a kiss into Yevgeny’s hair and then one to Ian’s lips.  
Yev reached his arms out and made grabby hands towards Mickey, “Da! Da!”  
“Wanna go see Daddy Mickey.”  
Yev nodded and Ian promptly handed the kid of to his husband, who had a million watt smile beaming across his face.  
As soon as Yev was in his arms he ran his free hand’s thumb over his lips and turned off said smile, “Good job, buddy.”  
Yev smiled and rested his head against Mickey’s shoulder.  
The party headed into the kitchen where Lip and Ian started prepping hot dogs and hamburgers for the crowd as Mickey held Yev and chatted with Fiona.  
“So... Is Mandy coming?”  
“Yeah, she’ll be here soon. She had to go pick some stuff up for Mick. Why?”  
“No reason.”  
Ian wanted to laugh as there was always a reason with Lip. It wouldn't be a far stretch for Ian to be practically convinced that Lip and Mandy would end up banging after the party.  
Ian chuckled, “There’s always a reason with you, dude. Just do us all a favor and don’t bang here. That’s something my eyes would rather not see. I would have to bleach my eyes and even then it might not take the image away.”  
Lip slugged his brother in the shoulder, “We’re not going to fuck.”  
“Sure. Sure. You always say that and you two always end up banging each other. And careful with the F word please. The last thing that Mick and I need is a child who’s one saying fuck. Maybe when he’s four, but that’s three years off.”  
“He’ll hear it a lot more than once in this house.”  
Ian laughed, “But we want to keep it to a minimum.”  
“Sure, man. I’ll, uh, try.”  
They headed out to the grill and started grilling as Mickey and Debbie sat in the living room building a house out of blocks with Yev.  
“So, uh, Mick really loves the kid, huh?” Lip asked as he slapped five hamburgers on the grill.  
Ian laughed, “Why wouldn’t he? He’s a good dad, Lip. Maybe we have different parenting methods than the majority of parents, but that doesn’t mean that we are bad parents.”  
“Never said you were. Just I never thought we would see Mickey actually enjoying being a dad.”  
“Well, we have all been a little surprised then. Haven’t we?” Ian said as he put hot dogs on the grill.  
Mandy appeared at the door that led inside the apartment, “Hey. I brought ketchup and everything. I left in on the counter.” She saw Lip standing near the grill with Ian, making eye contact with her, “Hey, Lip.”  
“Hey, Mandy.”  
Mandy bit her lower lip, “Ian, I’m gonna go help Debbie in the kitchen. You know that Carl has already almost set the house on fire more than once.”  
Yev squealed as Mickey and him appeared at the door, Mickey holding the little guy’s hands.  
“Hey, little monkey.” Mandy got down on her knees, “What’s up, buddy?”  
Yev squealed and babbled as Mickey walked him over.  
“This little guy took his first steps by himself.”  
“Really?!”  
Yev squealed in response.  
Mickey slowly let go of the kid’s hands, “Show Aunt Mandy what you can do, Yev!”  
Yev took a few shaky steps and then stumbled and landed on his butt laughing.  
Mandy smiled at the little kid, “Yea! Good job!”

After the lunch had been eaten, Ian and Mickey placed a cupcake in front of Yev on his highchair’s plastic table.  
Mandy stood holding a camera filming the event as Yev smashed his hands into the cupcake and brought a handful up to his mouth as his family cheered, “Happy Birthday Yevgeny!”  
Mickey felt at peace at the moment, he knew that there was nothing he could do to prevent the kid from growing, so he might as well enjoy making new memories. Making the best memories for their son possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this while listening to the Gallavich theme- Love is a Battlefield and while listening to the Ian and Yevgeny groove song from the car trip- Tongues by Joywave
> 
>  
> 
> I'm a horrible person and I'm trash so if you want to see a new blog I opened for Gallavich my tumblr is ItsGallavichBitch


	10. Pocketful of Sunshine

_One Shot #9_

_**November 13 2014** _

 

 

It all started on November thirteenth 2014 at 6 o’clock at night. Shit started hitting the fan once more at the Milkovich household. 

“Ian?! Who the fuck is this?!” Mickey had picked up Ian’s cell and found it had been spammed by some guy named Sean.  
Upon further inspection, Mickey saw hundreds of messages between Ian and this Sean guy. Paragraphs of text of this man professing his love to Ian, and Ian saying nothing in return.  
He scrolled past another one, “ _Hey. I’m thinking about you_.”  
“Ian?! What the fuck?!”

Ian came jogging into the room, “What, babe?”

“Who the fuck is Sean?!” Mickey asked his voice as sharp as nails.

Ian chuckled, “Oh, it’s just some guy at work who’s in love with me.”

“Jesus, Ian! You need to tell him to fucking stop.” The red head took a step back. “Since when do I suddenly share you with another fuckin’ man?!”

“Mickey.” Ian tried to wrap his arms around Mickey’s waist.

“Get the fuck away from me.” Mickey said as he stepped away from Ian and put his hand out in between them signaling that he needed space.

“Mickey, it’s nothing. Seriously.”

“It’s nothing?! Ian! Come on! I can’t do this shit anymore! There’s a fuckin’ baby on the way. A fuckin’ baby that’s my responsibility, and I can’t be dealing with this shit and that shit at once.

Ian’s face hardened, “Mickey.”

“I don’t want to fuckin’ share you. Can you understand that?!”

Ian’s face turned red with anger, “I’m not cheating. And how the fuck do you think I feel? I don’t want to share you either. All you care about now his this fuckin’ baby. Not me. Not anyone else. It’s all baby this and baby that.” 

“I’m fuckin’ done with this shit, man. I’m about to become a dad, I’m supposed to be concerned for my own fuckin’ kid.”

Ian scoffed, “Fine. I’m going to see other people then. I’m done.”

“Good.”

“Good.” Ian picked up his jacket that was draped over one of the kitchen chairs and then stormed out of the Milkovich house.

Mickey shoved a chair, knocking it over, in anger, “Fuck!” He pounded his fist against a wall, “Goddamnit!”

 

 

Ian walked the streets of Chicago for a little bit and typed a message to Sean, ‘ _Can you pick me up_?’

It only took a few seconds for him to get a response, unlike with Mickey where it would take approximately ten minutes,

‘ _Yeah. Where are you_?’

Ian sent his address and sat on the curb, “Fuckin’ stupid, Ian. Fuckin’ stupid.” He muttered.

Within ten minutes he was in a warm car.

The brown haired man of around 35 sat in the driver’s seat, “So, who’s house?”

“Just a friend. Well, we’re no longer friends I guess,”

“Sorry about that. Well, always I’ve got a bottle of champagne with our names on it at my place if you would like to come over.”

“Sounds fuckin’ great,” Ian forced a smile. To him it didn’t seem fuckin’ great, but he needed something to take the edge off right now.

The drive to Sean’s house was filled with them chatting mostly about work and surprisingly it made Ian feel even more shitty.

 

 

At 8 o’clock, Mandy came home to find Mickey on the couch alone, “Where’s Ian?”

“I don’t fuckin’ know. Probably off fuckin’ that guy,”

Mandy tilted her head, “What?” She sat next to her obviously upset brother,

“You heard me. He’s gone.” Mickey wiped his finger along his lips.

“What happened?” Mandy seemed genuinely concerned.

“He was texting some other guy. Or the guy was just texting him. I don’t know. Some really rich sucker from the fuckin’ White Swallow or some shit.”

“Fuck.” Mandy said with a sigh.

Mickey got off the couch and headed to his room, not wanting to cry or get emotional in the presence of Mandy.

He fell onto his bed, then realized that it was tainted with Ian’s DNA, his dead skin cells. Their dead skin cells. So, he slid off the bed and laid on the floor reaching for his iPod as he went down. Mickey turned on his awkward feel good song, one that no one knew was his guilty pleasure- _Pocketful of Sunshine_ \- and let his emotions flow.

 

 

Ian stood in the restroom trying to tell himself that he needed to do this. It was a very nice restroom. It had this weird small toilet thing that Ian had never seen before, and it kinda grossed Ian out a little. He never really liked the weird things that rich people just randomly have in their house.  
When he stepped out into the master bedroom he was greeted by Sean lying on the bed naked, “Coming to bed?”

Ian hesitated and Sean took his pants off revealing a average cock, “I can’t do this.”

“What’s wrong, baby.”

“This. All this is wrong. I need to go. I’m sorry.”

Sean sighed, “Fine. Get the fuck out.”

Ian grabbed his things and left in just his underwear, and he finished getting dressed in the hallway.

 

 

“Mickey! Open the fucking door!” Mandy shouted as she pounded on the door. Mickey ignored her, “Mickey!”

Mickey rolled his eyes and started screeching, “I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine! I got a love that I know is all mine! Oh, oh oh! Do what you want but you’re never gonna break me! Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me! Oh, oh oh! Take me away!”

“Mickey, what the actual fuck! Shut the fuck up!” Mandy said as the door collapsed, nearly hitting Mickey as it went down.

“Jesus! You tryin’ to kill me, bitch!?”

Mandy rolled her eyes, “Get off the fuckin’ floor.”

“I’ll do what I want that you very fuckin’ much!”

Mandy sighed, “Fuckin’ whatever, Mick. The last thing I need is my brother singing fuckin’ _Pocketful of_ Fuckin’ _Sunshine_! Not only is it a weird fuckin’ song, but you gotta at least take a bat to that guys fuckin’ head. Stop fuckin’ moping around.”

“I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine! I gotta love that’s all mine. Oh, oh oh!”

“Bye, fuckin’ weirdo.”

Mickey sighed as the doorbell rang.

“Mick! Fuck! Mick! Mick, I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean it.” Ian said as he stormed into the room. Mickey sighed as Ian sat next to him on the floor, “Babe. Please, listen to me. I’m so fucking sorry. I overreacted. I should have blocked him. I have blocked him. I’m so sorry, Mick. I know why you are angry, and you should be. I shouldn’t make you feel like shit about the baby and everything. Fuck, Mickey. All I fuckin’ want is you. I’ve been so tense and I am worried about the baby. And it’s just taken a toll. And that's no excuse, but I don’t want to leave you. I can’t fuckin’ leave you. I can’t. Please, Mickey. I’ll never talk to him again. I’ll find a new fuckin’ job. I’ll give it all up. Everything, but you.”

Mickey sat up, “Ian. You really fuckin’ hurt me. This baby wasn’t my choice, but now we have to deal with him ‘cause that’s what parents do. I love you, but Ian, I just want commitment with this baby coming.

Ian smiled, “I do to. I don’t know why I’ve been running from it, but now all I want is- Hold on." Ian left the room and Mickey stayed on the floor. Ian rushed back into the room after a few minutes, “Mickey, I need you to, uh, stand up, please.”

Mickey got on his feet as Ian kneeled, “Mickey, fuck, I know that I’m shitty a lot of the time. Really shitty. But of all the things I know. I know that I fuckin’ love you. Today has just proven it. Mickey, I love you.” Ian presented a little piece of wire that he had wrapped into a small circle, “Mickey Milkovich, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Mickey sighed, “Yes. But don’t do that every again. Please.

“I won’t, baby. I won’t. I promise.”

“Then yes,”

Mandy appeared at the door way, jumping, “It’s about fuckin’ time boys!”

Mickey pressed his lips to Ian’s, “Yes. Yes. Yes I’ll fuckin’ marry you Ian.”

 

 

**Thank you so much to maryellen590 for suggesting that a fight goes down between Ian and Mickey. I hope that this was okay. Angst is not my forte but this is pretty good as far as all my other ones go! :)**

 

**The song that's featured is obviously _Pocketful of Sunshine_ by Natasha Bedingfield... I really like this song actually. I don't know why. It came on the radio and I wanted to put it in there somewhere.**


	11. Buzz

_One Shot #10_

  ** _July 20 2014_**

 

 

Mickey sat on his bed contemplating life without Ian. The man whom he loved unlike every single girl he had ever thought he was in love with. He had and still did love that boy. He hadn’t even loved his ex-wife the woman who was staying in the room next door, pregnant with their demon spawn. A child made from rape and hate.

There were times where he wished he could just murder the bitch, but it was against his morals to hurt that child. The child who had made the love of his life run away, the child that had caused his sham of a marriage to take place.

He felt like breaking everything around him and getting rid of everything that Ian had touched. But it hurt to much. There was a schism of him wanting to get rid of everything, which would make him sad as he would be getting rid of pieces of Ian, and then not getting rid of everything, which would also make him sad as he would be surrounded by Ian.

Mickey tossed a ball against the wall, enjoying the satisfying slap that it made when it connected with the wall.

The door to the house opened.

“Mandy? Can you make me some fuckin’ toast or somethin’?” There was no response.

“Mandy. I'm fuckin’ serious.” Still no response. He got off the bed, grabbing a pistol from his dresser drawer. He then approached the door to the hallway and opened it very slowly. “Mandy? Bitch is that you?” Mickey raised the gun as he entered the hallway. He crept around the corner slowly. A show was cast on the wall of the living room. “Mandy?” He asked once more before entering the room. He found a familiar person in the room. “Ian?” He stepped closer, blinking to see if this was really happening or if it was his lonely mind playing tricks on him.

The man’s short red hair was soon illuminated by light from the lamp in the room, “Hey, Mickey.”

Mickey practically ran over to Ian, almost crashing into the coffee table on the way to the man. He wrapped his arms around

Ian’s army attired waist. “Fuck, Ian.” He buried his face in Ian’s army jacket inhaling the man’s scent that was so familiar.

“I’m home, Mick.”

Mickey’s fingers wandered up the back of Ian’s head, happy tears forming in his eyes and starting to stream down his face, he laughed as he said, “Ian, what the fuck did you do to your hair?” He looked at Ian’s face, which gave off the appearance that Ian was tired.

A smile spread across Ian’s face, “The army- well basic- happened to it I guess.” He nervously brushed his hand over the back of his head and chuckled.

“Come here, you piece of shit.” Mickey said pulling Ian close and running his hands over the short hairs at Ian’s nape, “I can’t believe that you’re back.” He smiled as Ian brushed tears of his face. “Don’t leave me again. Not like that. I was so worried.” Mickey nuzzled his face into Ian’s shoulder.

“I won't. I won't.” Ian said burying his face in Mickey’s dark hair.

He picked his face up a moment later, “Can I take a nap here? I’m so tired. I haven’t slept in days.”

Mickey nodded, “Of course you can.” He took Ian’s hand and walked him to the bedroom and went to the drawer. He pulled out a set of pajamas.

“No. No pajamas. Just you and me-- no clothes. I just want to feel you. I need to feel.” I said as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Mickey nodded, “Sounds good to me.” He sat on the edge of the bed, “Ian. Fuck, Ian. I love you. Please don’t leave again. Svetlana and I obviously didn’t work- we’re going to get divorced We’re legally separated now.”

Ian reclined on the bed, “Really?”

“Yeah. But the kid, well, he’s going to be my responsibility. Mine and Svetlana’s responsibility. But we’ll no longer be married.”

Ian nodded and grabbed the back of Mickey’s shirt pulling his close, “Come here.”

Mickey laid next to Ian and Ian moved Mickey’s head so that it was resting on his chest.

Ian played with Mickey’s hair, “Mickey?”

“Yeah, Red? Or should I say Buzz? ‘Cause hell your hair is barely red anymore.” Mickey asked as he relaxed.

Ian’s fingers ruffled through Mickey’s black hair, “I missed you. I even sneaked in a photograph of you-” Ian pulled the wrinkled photo out of his pocket and showed it to Mickey, “See?”

Mickey opened his eyes and then shut them again, “That’s an awful photo. I hope that you didn’t show anyone.”

“Oh I did. All my gay roomies.” Mickey cringed, “I’m joking. I kept it in my pocket. My own guilty pleasure.”

Mickey started to crack a grin, “You’re a cheesy mother-fucking bastard.”

“Yes. Yes I am.” Ian said as he pressed a kiss to Mickey’s forehead.

Ian’s fingers massaged Mickey’s scalp, “God. I’ve missed you so very much.”

Mickey moaned a little, “You seriously know how to cure a month long migraine.”

The door opened and high heels were making a loud clacking noise.

“Who’s that?” Ian asked worriedly as he sat up.

“Just Svetlana.” Mickey said calmly.

“Mickey! She’s gonna fucking kill me!”

Mickey patted Ian’s chest, “Lie back down. She won’t kill you.”

A tall brown haired woman appeared at the door, “Oh. Piece of shit ex-husband’s boyfriend is back. Hello Howdy Doody. You fuck him?”

Ian shook his head nervously.

“Sad. Piece of shit ex-husband wants it.” She then left.

Ian looked at Mickey, “What the fuck was that about?” He burst out laughing.

“Oh. Just Lana. She’s a lesbian you know?”

“No. Suddenly things make sense.”

Mickey nodded and grabbed a cigarette from the bedside table, placing it between his lips, and lighting it.

He inhaled sharply and then passed it over to Ian.

“She’s a bitch, but she’s having the kid, so I have to deal with her. She’ll grow on you. Kinda like a fungus.”

Ian nodded and took a quick drag of the cigarette, “As long as she leaves us alone.”

“She will, Buzz. She will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw army people at a rest stop and I started thinking about Ian. 
> 
> ALSO! I have good news! I have a tumblr dedicated to Gallavich called itsgallavichbitch !! I just started it a few days ago, so if you want to have another way to stay up to date on my fictions you can also find them there!


	12. Where's Her Mommy?

_ One Shot #12 _

 

**_August 12 2019_ **

 

Ian sat his desk watching his daughter’s swing go back and forth and back and forth. 

He had no idea what to write for the next chapter of his novel, so he just sat there and watched her swing as he tried to conjure up some ideas. Ian had quit his job as an EMT three months before Viktoriya was born, so that he could stay home with the kids. Mickey had a stable job at a funeral home, which was making him significant money, and allowed Ian to stay home and hold down the fort and pursue his other passion which happened to be writing.  One of the books he was currently writing a book about his life and how Mickey and him came to be in the place they were after coming from the south side. The other novel, which he was trying to write, was about a military boot camp where two men meet and fall in love. 

“Tori. What’s daddy going to write about in the next chapter?” Ian said as he left his desk and went over to the swing.

Tori cracked a small smile and giggled.

“Well, that wasn’t very helpful, princess, now was it? Now was it?” Ian said in his high pitched voice reserved for Tori. He picked Tori up out of the swing, “Do you want to go on a walk?” 

He put her on his shoulder and took her out to the kitchen where the stroller was and carefully put her in and strapped her in. He got his wallet from the kitchen’s counter and then headed out on a walk.

Ian pushed the stroller and as they walked through the town on the warm day.

Eventually Ian got too hot and decided that he was going to stop at a local coffee shop and get himself a cup of that delicious coffee.

People always told Ian that he had a beautiful daughter and that he was very lucky and today was no different when Ian waited for his cup of coffee.

Ian sat at a table outside and looked at his daughter who was getting agitated. He placed his hand on his daughter’s stomach which calmed her a bit and then a his was reaching into the diaper bag to get her pacifier a woman came up to him.

“Oh. She probably just wants her mommy. Where is she? Is she at home?”

Ian’s face got red, he hated it when people just assumed that his daughter had a mother and not two perfectly capable fathers, “She doesn’t have a mother.”

“Oh. Is she dead?”

This woman was really pressing on it and Ian hated it, “She doesn’t have a mother. She never has had one.”

“Oh...”

“She has two fathers. I’m one of them. Her other father is at work. If there was anyone she wanted it would be him.”

The woman stepped back, “You are a sick person. Depriving your child of a mother. How dare you. She doesn't have a choice you know.”

Ian looked at the woman like she was dumb and proceeded to pick up the baby and press her to his chest, she calmed down as another woman came over.

This woman was younger, “I think that you should leave, miss. She's being taken care of by her dad.”

The woman scoffed and then turned on her heel and left. 

     “Jesus. You would think people would be more tolerant nowadays.” She then smiled at Ian, her blonde hair flicking around in the light air, “I'm Stacy.” She stretched out her hand.

      “Ian and this is my daughter Viktoriya.  Thank you for that.”

The woman smiled and waved at Viktoriya, “It’s no problem. I have a wife and a little boy so I fully understand what it feels like.”

Ian nodded, “Thank you. I don’t know what I can do to thank you.”

“Well, how about we meet up for dinner sometime. Us and our partner’s and kids. My wife and I just moved here, and we don’t really know anyone.” She pulled out her phone.

Ian smiled, “That would be nice.” He punched his number into her phone. “Call anytime.”

“Wonderful.”

They both departed and Ian headed home.

Viktoriya took a nap until Mickey came home with Yevgeny.

“Hey, babe. We’re home.” Mickey said as he opened the front door.

Yevgeny came running into the house and plopped himself in front of his toys in the living room.

Ian came out of the office, “Hey.”

“How was your day?”

“Fine.”

Mickey’s smile dropped, “You sure about that?”

Ian sighed and then sat on the couch, “Someone was just rude to me and Viktoriya earlier and it’s been bugging me.”

Mickey put his hand on Ian’s shoulder and squeezed it, “Sorry about that. Who do I need to go beat up?”

“Some random lady at the coffee shop,” Ian said as he ruffled Yevgeny’s hair. “She just said that it was disgusting that Tori doesn’t have a mom. Normally it wouldn't bug me, but she really got under my skin.”

Mickey pressed a kiss in Ian’s hair, “Sorry, babe. You know that she’ll be fine with two dads as parents. Maybe we're not the perfect parents, but we are her parents. She loves us. Just like Yevgeny loves us. The fact that he doesn’t have Svetlana in his life does not affect him as much as we think. He’s okay with having two parents who happen to be men. What matters is we love them.”

Yevgeny got up on the couch and wrapped his arms around Ian, “I-I love you, d-daddy Ian. I- don’t want a mommy. I-I love my daddies.”

“Thank you, buddy,” Ian said as he pressed a kiss into Yevgeny’s hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really short idea that I had... I always kinda worry about having kids one day when I find the right man cause I'm always worried that someone will ask about where their mother is and be rude about it. Gay parents are just as good as straight parents and straight parents are just as good as gay parents so long as they love their kids (and Mickey and Ian really prove it). :3 :)


	13. What do you do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So sorry guys but this is not a new chapter. I accidentally posted it to the wrong story so I had to move it.

One shot #11

 

October 11 2020

“Ian, I don’t think that this is a good idea.” Mickey said as Ian tightened Mickey’s tie.  
Ian pulled Mickey close by his tie, “Mickey, it’ll be fine. All we are doing is speaking to his school friends. I don’t think that it’ll be a big issue.” He rested his hands on the side of Mickey’s face.  
“If I fuck it up, don’t blame me. This wasn’t my idea.” Mickey said as he looked at the floor.  
Ian rubbed his thumb against Mickey’s cheek, “Honey, you're not going to fuck it up. But, before we go you need to cover your finger tattoos. We don’t wanna have other kids seeing them and having their parents complain.”  
“Yeah. That wouldn’t be good.” He said as Ian put on his paramedics jacket.  
Mickey nodded and headed into the bathroom to cover his ‘Fuck U-Up tattoos’ as Ian went into Yevgeny’s room.  
“Yev. We gotta get ready.” Ian said as he sat on the edge of the bed.  
Yevgeny rolled over and opened his eyes a little.  
Ian brushed his hair out of his eyes, “Come on, bud. Daddy and I are coming to school with you today for career day.”  
Yevgeny nearly lept out of his bed, “R-really daddy?!”  
“Yeah, kiddo. We just need to get you and Tori dressed and then we can go.”  
Yevgeny crawled out of his bed sheets and got out of bed, taking Ian’s hand and pulling him towards the dresser.  
“What do you want to wear today?” Ian asked as he opened the top drawer of the dresser.  
“S-special shirt.” Yev said as he jumped.  
Ian reached into the drawer and pulled out a camouflage shirt and then a pair of khaki pants.  
Yev took his clothes off and then put his clothes on.  
Ian ruffled Yev’s hair, “We gotta comb your hair, buddy.” He laughed as Yev’s jet black hair stood up.  
Yev looked down at his clothes and smiled, “I-I look just like you, daddy!”  
Ian smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Yev’s hair, “Yes, buddy. You look just like me and daddy Mick.”  
Yev had recently been obsessed with the photos of Ian from basic training. He still had the idea of the military being a cool thing to do in his head and he loved dressing in his ‘army attire’, being his camouflage shirt and khakis. He liked to dress as Ian had dressed when he was a teenager and involved with ROTC. He thought that it was so cool that his dad had been ‘in the military’.  
Yev pulled on Ian’s pants and Ian picked him up and sat him on his shoulders, “Let’s go little officer.” He said with a laugh.  
They went into Tori’s bedroom where the little one year old was sitting in her crib.  
“Good morning, Tori!” Ian said as he approached the crib.  
She was standing up and bouncing up and down holding onto the crib bars.  
“Hi T-tori.”  
Viktoriya bounced up and down with her orange hair flopping up and down as she did so.  
Mickey entered the room and helped get her out of the crib. She went tottering around the room for a minute as her dads and her brother chased her around until finally Ian said that it was time for breakfast and that they needed to get the show on the road.  
They had a breakfast of cereal and toast and at eight o’clock they headed out for school.  
Ian and Mickey drove to the school and parked in the back and then went into the school with Mickey carrying Tori.  
When they arrived at the classroom, all the kindergarteners were sitting on the colored mat in their assigned spots.  
“Hello, Mr. and Mr. Milkovich!” Yev’s school teacher said as she approached them.  
“Hi!” Ian said as Yev went to go hang his coat up in his cubby. “Sorry that we had to bring Tori, we couldn’t get anyone to watch her for us.”  
The teacher smiled and waved at Tori, “Oh, it’s no problem.”  
Mickey looked at Tori, “Tori? Can you say hi?”  
“Hi.” She waved her hand and smiled.  
“Hi, Tori.” The teacher said as he gave Viktoriya a high five. “Alright, I guess that you can go one at a time. Just stand in the front of the room and I’ll introduce you.” Ian nodded and the teacher stood in front of the class, “Alright, guys. These are Yevgeny’s dads. Can you all say hi?”  
All the kids said hello and waved.  
Ian decided to go first and Mickey sat on the carpet next to Yev with Viktoriya in his lap.  
“Hi, guys. I’m one of Yevgeny’s dads. You can call me Ian. So, I’m here to tell you about my job today.” Ian said as he sat on a small chair in front of the kids. “I used to work as a paramedic. So when anyone got hurt, I’d come in my ambulance and help them by taking them to the hospital. But, now I stay at home with Yevgeny’s little sister and write books.”  
A small boy raised his hand and then said, “Have you ever seen someone die?”  
Ian swallowed and cast a glance at Mickey and then responded, “Yes. I have.”  
A girl then raised her hand and said, “What did they die from?”  
“They were sick.” Ian said, keeping it short and to the point, not lying about what could happen.  
Yevgeny then shouted, “He was also in the army!”  
The kids looked at him with a look of awe, “Yes. I was in the army for a while.”  
“Did you shoot anyone?” A boy asked.  
“No.” Ian said getting uncomfortable.  
The teacher then butted in, “Alright. Alright. Class we don’t ask questions like that. Now say you're sorry to Yevgeny’s dad.”  
“Sorry, Yev’s dad.” The kids said in unison.  
“It’s okay.”  
Ian went back and sat on the carpet and took over holding Viktoriya as Mickey went up to the front of the room.  
He sat down on the tiny chair uncomfortably, “Hi. I’m Yevgeny’s other dad. You can call me Mickey. I work at place where I take care of dead people.” The classes faces fell. “I make sure that they look good. And I plan parties to celebrate their lives.”  
A girl raised her hand, “Do you touch dead people?”  
“Yes. I do. But I wear special gloves.”  
A boy raised his hand, “Do you kill people?”  
Mickey chuckled, “No. I do not kill people. They are already dead when I see them.”  
There were several more questions and finally Ian and Mickey grabbed Viktoriya and left the school.  
“See Mickey, I told you you wouldn’t fuck up.” Ian said as he drove Mickey to work.  
Mickey nodded, “It wasn’t all that bad.”


	14. The Cop and The Criminal

One shot #13

 

**_October 31 2015_ **

 

“Mickey! We gotta go!” Ian said as he banged his knuckles against the bathroom door.

There was some shuffling from behind the door, “I’m not fuckin’ coming out, Ian. I look ridiculous.” 

Ian tried to not laugh, “Babe. Come on. Fiona wants us to come to the house for the Halloween party. She invited us.”

Mickey opened the door a crack, “Why was  **this** your fuckin’ idea.”

“Babe. You look fine.” He sighed, “I’ll handcuff you tonight if you come out.” Ian said as he swung the handcuffs around his index finger.

The door opened and revealed Mickey sitting on the toilet with his hair half gelled back and dressed in an orange top and bottoms, “This is fuckin’ weird.”

“This is what families do,” Ian said as he removed his costumes policeman hat from his head revealing his orange hair and placed it on the counter.

Mickey ran his finger along his lip, “Not what Terry and all us did.”

“Since when have you ever wanted to be like Terry?” Ian said as he ran his fingers through Mickey’s hair, causing the gelled part to stick up in the air. 

“You know what I mean. If he saw me like this he would kick the fuckin’ crap outta both of us. I wasn’t raised doing this shit. To me, it’s just weird.”

“Well. Do you want our son missing out on it like you did just because his father hates all holidays?” Ian asked already knowing Mickey’s answer.

Mickey stood up from the closed toilet seat and looked at himself in the mirror, “Why did you have to fuck my hair up, Red?”

“Want me to fix it?” Ian asked as he wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist.

Mickey nodded and sighed, “Yes.” 

Ian put his fingers to work fixing Mickey’s hair so that it was all gelled back. 

He took a step back when he was finished and smiled, “There’s my sexy prison thug.” He snickered a little.

Mickey scoffed and rubbed his thumb against his lip, “Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

Ian pressed a kiss to the shorter man’s forehead, “We gotta go.” He hustled out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where their little judge was sitting in his swing.

Mickey stood near the bed as Ian picked up Yevgeny, “See Mickey! Look how adorable he is!”

Ian had decided that they were doing a family costume group for their first official Halloween together, and he said that it would be hilarious if Mickey and him dressed as a criminal and a police officer. Mickey had hated the idea of wearing the orange get up again after he had been free from that outfit for forever. However, Ian wasn’t going to dress as anything other than a police officer, and in all honesty, Mickey wanted him to dress up as a cop. Then it was just a matter of dressing the eight-month-old as a judge. 

Ian and Mickey walked over to the Gallagher house with Yevgeny in his stroller and were bombarded by kids swarming the Gallagher house.

The Gallagher’s were renowned for the best Halloween party in their area, however, it was highly exclusive and pretty much closed off to their family and the Balls. However, that didn’t prevent kids from trying to get into the house to drink booze.

The door to the house opened and Fiona appeared laughing at the door, “Oh my god! Haha! That’s such a great costume idea!” Fiona wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and brought him in for a hug. 

“Thanks,” Ian said as he pressed a kiss to Fiona’s cheek.

“And look at that handsome criminal! And the little guy!” She wrapped her arms around Mickey, “You guys are adorable! Come on inside!” 

Fiona was dressed in a knee-length skirt with her hair clipped back from her face and a pink sweater. It didn’t look much like what you would expect with your typical Halloween costume, however, for Fiona, it was a pretty drastic change. 

They went into the house and were greeted by the family, who started cracking up at the sight of them.

“Those are the cutest costumes, E!” V said as she put her liquor down and took Gemma into her arms. 

Mickey winced at the word cute, “Blame, Ian.”

Debbie then came darting down the wooden hill, “Ian! Mickey! Yevgeny!” Her red hair bounced as she peered at Yevgeny. “He’s so cute! Can I take him out?”

“Yeah! Sure, Debs. I like your costume.” Ian said. His youngest sister was dressed in a maids costume and her hair had been teased, “What is it of exactly?”

Debbie lifted Yevgeny out of the stroller, “Magenta from Rocky Horror. See, Fi’s dressed as Janet, Carl’s Riff-Raff, Lip was going to be Dr. Frank-n-Furter... but he bailed... anyways... Frank’s doctor Scott, but... well... he’s not here. Um... Liam’s the narrator. Jimmy is Brad...and ugh... we don’t have a Rocky...”

“Very creative,”  Ian said as he put the stroller under the stairs.

Debbie took Yev upstairs, giving Mickey and Ian some time to chat with their family and friends. 

V was dressed as Queen Iduna and Kev as King Agnarr, with Gemma as Anna and Amy as Elsa. 

“Great costumes, Kev. I see that you are frozen.” Ian said with a chuckle.

“Haha. Very funny. It was the wife’s choice.”

Mickey gently punched Ian’s arm and directed the following comment at Kev, “I see that we are in the same boat.”

Ian gently slugged Mickey in the arm and laughed, “Sure are.” 

The party commenced with everyone at the allowed drinking age getting rip roaring drunk. However, Ian and Mickey remained sober, drinking their non-alcoholic beer. 

Pizza was passed around after Lip arrived, not in costume. 

Ian and Mickey sat on the couch eating their pizza and watching as Debbie played with Yevgeny in the living room. Lip plopped down next to them, “Great costumes.” He smirked. 

Mickey scoffed, “Yeah. Yeah.”

Yevgeny cooed away on the floor and crawled around eventually ending up at Mickey’s legs and he pulled himself up with a “da, da.”

Mickey picked him up and sat him on his lap and ran his fingers through his son’s soft brown hair.

Lip held out his hand for a high five.

“Buddy, give Uncle Lip a high five,” Mickey said as he picked up the chubby hand.

Yevgeny gently placed his hand against Lip’s large hand.

Lip smiled and then tickled Yevgeny’s stomach, “Cute kid.”

Ian nodded, “He sure is!” 

Yevgeny cooed and Mickey put him on his shoulder, “I’m gonna go change him.”

Mickey left the living room and came back and everyone suddenly was in the kitchen playing random games that they had found or created over the years, such as find the knife (a game where you have to find a very specific knife that Fiona had hidden), get the oreo off your face and into your mouth without using your hands (which Mickey was the best at), battle shot (battleship but with shots), and bobbing for apples (however apples had been all sold out at the store, so they bobbed for oranges instead). 

Yevgeny slept in his stroller as Mickey and Ian participated in the games. 

Mickey won the oreo contest for the second year in a row and Ian won at battleshots (with the vodka being his non-alcoholic beer in the cups that he had to drink). 

Within an hour everyone was even drunker and as Liam went to bed, they pulled out their collection of bongs and went to work on getting high. 

Ian and Mickey put the sleeping Yevgeny in the pack-and-play that was stored upstairs for when he stayed the night, and they sat next to each other on the couch with a bong in between them.

“You sure you wanna do this?” Mickey asked as he picked up the bong and rolled the glass tube in his hands. 

Ian nodded, “I fucking need this.”

Mickey sighed and handed the bong over to Ian. Ian placed his lips in the mouthpiece and created suction, he then took the lighter and lit the weed in the bowl, inhaling. 

“Is it good, babe?” Mickey asked as Ian removed his lips from the bong and exhaled.

Ian giggled, “It’s fucking great.” He handed the bong over to Mickey. 

Mickey prepped the same and then Ian lit the bowl for Mickey. Mickey inhaled as Ian straddled his lap. 

They heard Fiona laugh from the corner of the room where her, Jimmy, and Lip were smoking up. “Now boys do not get all intimate on my carpet. No sex on it.” She laughed and smiled at them, “But you two are fuckin’ cute.”

Bong hits took Mickey a little longer than Ian to feel the effects, but when he did get into a high state, it was a super high. 

Within ten minutes they were all laughing and Mickey’s head was lying on Ian’s chest, “I fuckin’ love you, Ian.”

Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s forehead, “I love you too, sexy. You sexy fuckin’ criminal. Just wait until we get home and I’m gonna fuck you.” He laughed and lifted Mickey’s shirt up, tracing his fingers along his husband’s chest.

“Mmmmm, I’m ready, sir.  Fuckin’, love you in that cop outfit. ” Mickey said he shut his eyes and smiled. “Fuckin’ love havin’ you in me.”

Ian smiled and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s head.

  
  
They ended up spending the night passed out on the floor with Fiona, Jimmy, and Lip and woke up altogether had a huge breakfast and then headed home, with Mickey still looking like a criminal in his orange jumpsuit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm running out of ideas for all my stories, so if you have any prompts that you want me to fill, send them in! I love having lists of prompts so that if I get stuck on a bunch (like I am now), then I always have more to fall back on... (if that makes any sense). So if anyone has any I will be eternally grateful! Thanks for reading! :3


	15. Disney: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfinishedbusinessss (Tumblr): OMG FINALLY FOUND AND FOLLOWED YOU ON TUMBLR!!!!! Amazing job on all your work you have done recently!!! So I was thinking for a very vague prompt (super sorry and bad at giving them) but I think you should do where either just Mickey and Ian go to Disneyworld for a celebration/anniversary, or they take Yevvie for a birthday, orrrr like everyone (the Gallagher, Gallagher-Milkovich, and Balls) goes because they won a huge trip of some sort......something along the lines of that please... I love disney and would just love to see Mickey there being a little embarrassed with all the other Mickey stuff around hehe
> 
>  
> 
> This is only part one.

 

_ One Shot #14 _

**_April 21st 2019_ **

 

“Ian, you gotta be fuckin’ kidding me. We are not going to fuckin’ Disney World. You’re out of your goddamn mind.” Mickey said as he poured his coffee. 

Ian scoffed and Yevgeny looked at his father, “D-daddy Mick. You-you need to put 50 cents into the bad word jar!”

Ian gave Mickey a look that said ‘really, really, are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me.’ and then said, “Mickey. We are going. It’s a special trip for us before we have the new baby.”

Yevgeny ran into his bedroom to go play with his toys and Ian wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist, “Babe, we need to take this trip for Yev. This will be one of the last moments that he will not have a sibling. It’s important.”

Mickey exhaled, “Fine. But don’t you fuckin’ dare make me cover my tats or anything.”

 

The following day, Mickey and Ian and Yevgeny were scheduled to be on an airplane.

Both of them had never been on a plane before and Mickey was having a  hard time, he was practically shaking.

“I don’t wanna fuckin’ go, Ian.” Mickey said as he curled up against the window that looked out onto the airfield. He felt like he was about to scream.

“Mickey, we’ll be fine. People fly all the time. Mandy and Lip are already down there. They survived the plane ride. You’ll be okay. I promise.” He was trying to coax Mickey down from his anxiety and it was magically starting to work. 

Mickey rubbed his finger against his tattoos on his other hand nervously and then started chewing his fingernails. He had almost stopped shaking which was a good sign. 

“D-daddy.” Yev curled up into Mickey’s lap and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek, “I-I love you.”

Mickey pressed a shaky kiss to Yevgeny’s head, “I love you too, buddy.”

“You-you can sit next to me.” Yevgeny offered.

Mickey forced a smile, “Okay, bud. We can all sit together.”

Ian smiled as the plane attendant announced that they were allowed to start boarding.

Mickey, Ian, and Yevgeny got to board first because Yevgeny was young enough. They all sat together, Mickey at the window, Yevgeny in the middle, and Ian in the aisle seat. 

Ian grasped Mickey and Yev’s hand as the plane took off. 

 

They arrived at Orlando National Airport around 3 in the afternoon. 

Mickey had to carry Yevgeny off the plane because he had fallen asleep. “He’s so tired.” Mickey said as he rubbed Yevgeny’s back as Ian got the stroller ready.

“Of course he is. It’s good that he gets a nap.” Ian said as he finished reassembling the stroller.

Mickey nestled Yevgeny into the stroller and then he rubbed his face with his hands, “I’m so tired.”

Ian rested his hand on Mickey’s shoulder as Mickey started pulling a light blanket over Yevgeny’s little legs so they wouldn’t get sunburned, “I know. But this is a good break from Chicago. He’s only been on one vacation ever and it’s going to get even more difficult to travel once we have the baby.”

Mickey nodded, “Yeah. Yeah.” He started pushing the stroller towards the exit of the airport.

They grabbed their bags and were on their way to Disney. 

 

Ian, Mickey and Yevgeny were going to met up for dinner with Lip and Mandy. 

“Hey!” Ian said as they approached the dinner table.

Mandy smiled at them and rested her hand on her belly, “Hi.”

“How are you feelin’?” Ian asked as he settled Yevgeny on the seat in between his and Mickey. 

“Good. A little nauseous though. How’s the little guy?”

Ian looked at Yevgeny who was currently coloring in some of his husband's table paper drawings, “How are you, Yevgeny?”

“Good. Daddy’s coloring with me.” He smiled a gigantic smile as he picked up his purple crayon. 

Lip chuckled as Mandy kicked him in the leg, “Don’t laugh at them, asshole.”

Mickey gave Lip a look that clearly said, ‘Don’t fuck with me in front of my kid’ and Lip apologized, surprisingly. 

It was obvious to Mickey that Lip was really trying to get on Mandy’s good side lately. Hell, he had even come on this trip with them, and he wasn’t complaining as usual.

Yevgeny looked up from coloring in a Mickey Mouse doodle that Mickey had almost magically drawn and said, “D-daddy. W-why do you have the same name as Mickey Mouse?”

Mickey cringed, the last thing that he wanted to be named for was Mickey Mouse, “Terry, my biological dad, really liked the character, so he named me after him.”

That was a true statement, it was a little different, but he wasn’t about to tell his son that Terry had gotten Mickey’s mother pregnant while watching a Mickey Mouse cartoon and hence the name. 

Ian couldn’t help but cringe a little as well, he knew that Mickey didn’t like bringing up Terry in conversation. And recently Mickey had taken to calling Terry his biological father. Which was completely fair as Mickey did not want to bring up Terry and his influences on his family, and how Yevgeny came to be, to light yet. 

But Mickey seemed to be taking the conversation rather well. Ian knew that Mickey had been preparing child-friendly answers for their son since the day that he was born. The old Mickey would have simply told it as it was, no matter the child’s age, but now that he was a dad, he saw the fact that sometimes children needed to be shielded from certain information for their own safety and sanity, and that when the time came, they would have a formal discussion about it. 

“That’s c-cool, daddy Mick. But Mickey Mouse isn’t my favorite.” Yevgeny said as he colored away on the paper tablecover.

Mickey raised his eyebrow, “Why?”

“‘C-cause I already have a M-mickey. I ca-can’t have both. I-I like daddy better.” He nodded a matter-of-factly and took a green crayon from the pile.

Ian’s heart swelled to ginormous proportions when he heard that, it was the sweetest thing that had ever come out of the cheery four year old, and he said a lot of sweet things, but nothing topping this. 

“M-my favorite is Pe-Peter Pan and C-c-captain H-hook.” Yevgeny said as he drew stick figures on the paper. “‘C-cause daddy Ian looks like him and d-daddy Mick looks like C-c-captain H-hook.” He smiled and doodled out a drawing of Ian, Mickey, and himself. 

Mickey nodded, “That’s true.” 

A waiter dressed as what looked to Mickey to be a chipmunk of some sort took their orders and Ian took Yevgeny to go potty, leaving Mickey alone with his sister and her potential boyfriend.

“So, uhhhh, you’re named after the mouse?” Lip asked with a laugh.

Mickey gave him a stern look, “Yes. Maybe not in the appropriate way that I told him, but yes, asshole.”

Lip laughed louder as a Mickey Mouse suited actor came to the table and in a high pitched voice said, “Please refrain from using foul language here. This needs to be a safe environment for kids.”

Mickey could tell that Mandy was so close to giving the character the finger, however, she refrained from doing so because she did not want to be the reason that they were kicked out of the parks. 

“Uh. Mickey Mouse, did you uh, know that that guy across from me was named after you?” Lip asked evilly. 

Mickey gave him a sharp glare as the mouse responded, “Oh, really,” in a less than thrilled voice. 

He then stomped off and Mandy slugged Lip in the arm just as Ian and Yevgeny were returning.

“What did we miss?”

Mickey smirked, “Just your brother being hideous.” He then turned to Lip, “Don’t test me Lip. Do not even try.”

Ian chuckled lightly with Mandy as he settled Yevgeny into his chair and took a seat.

They had a fairly nice dinner and then they all returned to their respective hotel rooms.

“So, what exactly did Lip say when I was gone?” Ian asked as they rolled back the covers to their bed after just putting Yevgeny to sleep for the night.

Mickey chuckled, “Just a lot of nonsense. Sometimes the guy can be real fuckin’ nice, but other times he’s a real douche, you know.” 

Ian crawled under the covers and watched his husband undress, “Yeah, he’s definitely Frank’s kid. He’s got an ego the size of the globe and it is ever expanding. I don’t understand how your sister puts up with it.”

Mickey got into bed and was quickly spooned by Ian, “They are both fuckin’ awful at times.” He reached his head back and pressed a little kiss to Ian’s shoulder, “I guess this place isn’t as bad as I thought it was gonna be.”

Ian smiled, “I told you that it wasn’t too bad. Just wait till tomorrow.”

 


	16. Disney World: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfinishedbusinessss (Tumblr): OMG FINALLY FOUND AND FOLLOWED YOU ON TUMBLR!!!!! Amazing job on all your work you have done recently!!! So I was thinking for a very vague prompt (super sorry and bad at giving them) but I think you should do where either just Mickey and Ian go to Disneyworld for a celebration/anniversary, or they take Yevvie for a birthday, orrrr like everyone (the Gallagher, Gallagher-Milkovich, and Balls) goes because they won a huge trip of some sort......something along the lines of that please... I love disney and would just love to see Mickey there being a little embarrassed with all the other Mickey stuff around hehe
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> The trip to Disney World does not go as planned.

The next morning, Ian woke to Yevgeny jumping on the bed shouting, “Let’s go! Let’s go! I wanna go!”

Ian sighed, “Buddy, it’s-” he rolled over to check the clock which read six A.M. “- six A.M.”

Mickey was still, surprisingly, passed out in the bed, sleeping as soundly as a baby. “See. Look, Daddy’s still asleep. And you should be too.” He looked at the kid, whose lip was starting to quiver, “Come here, monkey boy.”  Ian patted the small amount of space between him and Mickey

Yevgeny crawled his way in between his dads and curled up next to Mickey.

Ian rubbed the kid’s back and pressed a kiss to his hair, “Let’s try to go back to bed.” 

Yevgeny nodded and then went back to curling up in Mickey’s arms.

Until finally at 8 o’clock, Yevgeny woke his dads up and he sat on Mickey’s chest, “Really, we’re sitting on my chest?” Mickey asked. 

It wasn’t particularly bothersome to Mickey that his son was perched on his chest, but it wasn’t exactly the most comfortable position.

Yevgeny nodded and Mickey smiled at him, “Good morning, Yev. What’re we gonna do today?”

Yev thought to himself and then rolled next to Mickey and Ian, “I-I don’t know.”

They got ready for the day ahead and grabbed some breakfast from their hotel rooms fridge, which they had jammed full with groceries from the store that was a couple miles away by bus from the day before.

Ian packed a backpack full with snacks and water and even made little lunches for them and then Mickey got Yevgeny into his stroller and they headed off for the day. 

They took a bus to the main park and met Lip and Mandy at the gate. 

“Hey!” Mandy said as she waved to Ian, Mickey, and Yevgeny as they approached them.

“Hi!” Yevgeny shouted as he waved.

Mandy pressed a kiss to the top of Yev’s head, “Are we gonna have some fun today?”

“Yeah!”

Ian and Mickey couldn’t help but smile at each other as Yevgeny got out of his stroller and pulled on Mickey’s shorts.

“What do you want, kiddo?” Mickey asked as his thumb rubbed against his lower lip.

Yevgeny continued pulling them as he announced that he wanted to sit atop Mickey’s shoulders.

Mickey couldn’t say ‘no’ not in the supposed happiest place on Earth. So, he picked Yevgeny up and placed him on his shoulders and Yevgeny wrapped his legs around Mickey’s neck and then held onto handfuls of Mickey’s hair. 

Ian was amused and he pressed a short kiss to Mickey’s lips, not wanting to over do the PDA. 

They all decided that they would start at Tomorrow Land and so they all headed over to the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Yevgeny sat with his dads and Mandy and Lip rode together and they rode through shooting all the space aliens, which even Mickey found relatively fun. After that they were all fairly nauseous and so they decided to head over to Fantasy Land where they went on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride and then Peter Pan’s flight, and that was the end of their day at the park. 

It was a little too over stimulating for Yevgeny and he got very stressed out after only a few rides, so they walked around eating ice cream while Lip and Mandy went off to conquer some of the other rides.

Ian stopped in a gift shop of some sort and he purchased a very expensive water and then found a hat. It was a Mickey Mouse eared hat and he immediately purchased it. 

He met Yevgeny and Mickey outside of the store and placed the hat on Mickey’s head.

“You gotta be kiddin’ me, Red.”

“Come on, Mick. Wear it. This is the happiest place on earth.”

Mickey sighed and wore it and Yevgeny couldn’t stop laughing like crazy. 

“Yeah. Yeah. Sure, kid.” He said as he pushed the stroller. 

They got back on a bus and Yevgeny went down for a nap, and Ian and Mickey had some time to themselves.

Mickey laid himself out on the bed and moaned, “I fuckin’ hate it here. I think that the kid doesn’t like it much either.”

“I think it’s too much for him. Well, now we know that this was a flop, and we'll never come here again.”

Mickey nodded, he was so ready to go home. 

So when they went home a few days later, he happily hung his Mickey Mouse hat on a hook in his office and placed the pictures in a book for later.

The fact that the trip had been kind of a flop had been proof that their family was not ordinary, and that things were different for them, and quite frankly he was happy they weren’t normal. But he would always have the memories of his son being overwhelmed on vacation and enjoying very little of it, but the good moments were really good moments and he wanted to hang onto those. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really hard for me to write as I have only been to Disney World once and I can't remember anything about it other than I was so overstimulated and overheated the whole time that I was miserable and hated it and wanted to leave. Things don't always go right and so I really wanted to show that even the Milkovichs have their not so fabulous days.


	17. Yevgeny Has A Stutter and Two Dads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter in which Yevgeny gets bullied for having a stutter and having two dads.

_ One Shot #15 _

**_December 15th 2021_ **

  
  


Ian sat in his study getting ready to go pick up Yevgeny from first grade. 

Normally, Mickey would pick Yevgeny up after work and bring him home, but today Mickey had to work later than normal and so, Ian was doing it. 

He checked what Tori was doing on the floor and she was smacking blocks against each other. Ian had also picked Tori up from her nursery school earlier that afternoon.  

He settled Tori into her carseat and then was ready to leave as his cellphone rang. 

Ian put the carseat on top of the kitchen table and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Ian Milkovich.”

A woman’s voice came through the phone, “Hi, Mr. Milkovich. It’s Ms. Davis from Welcrest Elementary school.”

“Hi, Ms. Davis. Is something wrong with Yevgeny? I was just about to come and pick him up.” Ian said as he nervously fiddled with his keys.

The woman on the other end of the line sighed, “Yevgeny was in an altercation at school.” Ian sighed and closed his eyes, it didn’t sound like his son at all, “He had been talking to a friend and a kid from his class made fun of you and your husband, and your son defended himself through his words which was good, but the kid burst out and punched your son in the face. Your husband has already been called and he’s coming here as soon as possible. The kid who punched your son is now in the social worker's office, so that Yevgeny can feel safe being here. He’s okay, he’s got a bruise, but he is more upset than anything.”

“I’ll be right over.” Ian said as he grabbed the carseat and started running out of the house.

“Thank you for being so flexible. And we are so sorry that this occurred.”

Ian said ‘thank you’ and then he hung up as he approached the car. 

He put Tori in the backseat and then got in the passenger's seat and drove to the school which was only ten blocks away.

When he arrived at the school, he found Mickey in the parking lot, getting his thug face on to confront anyone who said his kid deserved it.

“Mick?” Ian said as he approached him.

Mickey sighed a sigh of utter relief, “How did this happen? To our kid?”

“Mick, stuff like this happens. He’ll be okay once we talk through it and the school deals with it.” Ian said as he checked down at the sleeping Tori. Ian ran his hand through his hair, “I debated calling Fi, but I thought it would take too long.”

Mickey shuffled his feet and then Ian pulled him to the building.

When they went inside, they swiped their fingers over the finger-print locking device and got into the school where they were then lead to the nurse's office.

They both took a deep breath and then entered the office. 

“Daddys!” Yevgeny shouted as he opened his arms from the cot that he was sitting on.

His face was swollen and he had a very dark black eye forming and he had very clearly been crying.

The nurse smiled as Ian embraced his son, “Hey, Yevy.”

Yevgeny sobbed into Ian’s shoulder, “H-h-he made fun of me, d-daddy.”

Ian picked his son up and rubbed his back, “What’d he say, baby?” 

Mickey looked at Ian, he was biting his lower lip nervously, scared to approach the scene.

“H-h-he c-c-called me re-retarded a-and s-said my s-s-stu-tt-tter was w-w-weird a-a-and then h-h-he s-said that y-you and d-daddy a-are f-f-fags.”

Ian felt so angry. Yevgeny had formed a stutter soon after he had started being able to use more words, and the speech therapist said that it got aggravated with stress and anxiety. It was not something that should cause another child to hit his son in the face, but it happened so they were here.

A look of pure fury came over Mickey, “What’d you tell him?”

“T-t-that m-my d-daddys a-are t-the b-best a-and to n-n-n-n-not t-talk l-like t-that.” Yevgeny said as he picked his face up from Ian’s shoulder.

Mickey took Yev from Ian and just held him tightly as his son cried his eyes out and as Ian signed Yevgeny out of school. 

They had a brief discussion with the principal, who told them that the child was not going to be allowed to come to school the next few days and that he would be receiving psychological assistance, but that tomorrow, Ian and Mickey would have to meet the kid’s parents. Ian and Mickey agreed on the term that Yevgeny would not go to school the next day.

They returned home and Ian sat Yevgeny on the counter and took a good look at the bruise.

“Hey, buddy that’s a nice bruise you got there. Let’s put some ice on that.” Ian said as he pressed his lips to Yevgeny’s forehead.

“You’ve officially turned into a Milkovich man, buddy.” Mickey said as he gave his son a high five, “Your first black eye is a big deal. But, don’t go thinking that you should let people push you around. The fact that he did punch you was wrong, ‘kay.”

Yevgeny nodded, “‘kay, daddy.” He smiled at Mickey and Ian pressed an ice pack to his son’s eye.

“How about I call Aunt Fi and we’ll have her take Tori for the night and then we can have some time with you? Does that sound good?”  Ian suggested as he pulled the ice pack back briefly and noticed his son was bleeding, “Oh, bud. You’re bleedin’.” He turned to Mick, “Get some gauze and medical tape please?”

Mickey nodded and went into the bathroom to the medical kit. 

Yevgeny’s lip quivered, “I-I-I don’t want to bleed.” 

Ian wrapped his arms around his son, “It’s okay. It’ll stop soon, buddy. As soon as I put a bandage on it. And why would that be?”

“B-b-because d-daddy has m-m-m-magic m-m-medical h-hands.” Yevgeny said as he sniffed.

Mickey returned into the kitchen with the roll of medical tape and the gauze as Ian said, “That’s right, kiddo. Daddy’s got the magic medical training.”

Mickey laughed and slapped Ian’s ass, “You sure do, Red.”

Ian rolled up some gauze and had Mickey hold it up to Yevgeny’s eye as he taped it down, “Hey, but at least you look like a pirate now.” Ian said as he finished taping the gauze down.

Mickey picked Yevgeny up off the counter and Ian went to go phone Fiona to ask if she could come pick Tori up.

Mickey carried the kid up the master bedroom and put him on the bed, “What do you wanna watch, kiddo?” He sat on the bed next to his son and pulled him into his lap.

“D-d-d-d-dr. Ph-ph-phil.” 

Mickey nodded and turned on the television and they cuddled together watching Dr. Phil. 

 

Ian was in the kitchen watching Tori, who was going to be picked up by Fiona soon. 

He picked her up and held her close to his chest, “You’re gonna go see Aunt Fi, ‘cause daddys have to deal with your brother. But you’ll come home tomorrow, I promise.”

Tori clapped her hands and reached up and pulled Ian’s hair.

“No.” Ian untangled her hands from his hair and brought her into the bedroom until Fiona came.

When Fiona did come to pick up Tori, she got all the information about what had happened and was utterly shocked.

“Holy shit. So, someone just decked him for havin’ two dads and havin’ a stutter. Fuckin’ hell.” Fiona said as she grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen sink.

“Yeah. He punched him in the eye. Kid’s got a huge black eye, and a few scrapes on his face, which is why he has a bandage.”

Fiona nodded as Ian rested Tori in the car seat and handed it to Fiona. 

“I mean his stutter isn’t just going to go away, right?”

Ian shook his head, “No, we’ve been trying a speech therapist, but due to the fact that he’s made very little progress, and his age when it started, it’s gonna be around for a while. We also don’t want him to just stop talking due to being embarrassed about it. But, we do know that it bothers him. For us it’s not a problem, Mick and I are used to it, just the kids at his school aren’t.”

Fiona nodded in response, “Well, kids are tricky. Bullying is so difficult.” She then looked down at the carseat, “When do you want the princess back? If you don’t tell me I might have to steal her.” 

“How about 12 tomorrow afternoon?”

“Sounds good.”

Fiona then left and Ian returned to spend time with his son and his husband. 


	18. Baby Feet

_ One Shot #16 _

**_August 13th, 2019_ **

  
  


Mickey left work at five and arrived home at five fifteen that evening. His side hurt like a bitch and he was ready to go lie down and spend time with his family.

He opened the door to the house and walked into the house in pain, trying not to show the fact that he was in pain.

“Hey, babe. How was work?” Ian asked as he approached Mickey.

Mickey smiled, “Good. Busy. Lots of dead people to embalm and cremate. Always fun.” 

He winced a bit as Ian wrapped his arms around his waist, “You okay, Mick. I saw that wince, so don’t pretend like it didn’t happen.”

Mickey shrugged, which hurt, “I bruised my rib at work. Anyways, I’m going to, uh, go shower.”

“You sure that everything is okay?” Ian asked as Mickey turned to head upstairs. 

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Mickey said as he got to the top of the stairs.

He went into the bathroom, took off his shirt, and looked at the bandage on the left side of his torso. Mickey fingered the medical tape and slowly pulled the bandage off revealing his new tattoos. He was used to nursing his new tattoos, even though he hadn’t gotten any since the last time he made modifications to his ‘Ian Galeger’ tattoo (the guy who had done the tattoo originally messed it up severely, it had not been Mickey’s fault), which now read, ‘Ian Gallagher’ after getting some laser treatments and then tattooing over the cleared skin, his gift to himself after he had gotten his job. Mickey gently dabbed the new tattoos with lukewarm water and antimicrobial soap. He dabbed it dry and then covered the new tattoos with a light layer of A+D Ointment, before heading downstairs.

Ian was busy cooking dinner in the kitchen, and he noticed his husband not wearing his shirt with a ton of redness on his side.

“Hey, babe. Can you check this for me?” Mickey asked, this was how he decided to reveal the new tattoo that Ian had no idea about.

Ian nodded, “Yeah. I’ll be right over.” Ian said as he continued stirring the pot. He took the pot off the stove after a few more minutes and then went to Mickey to check out this ‘bruised rib’.

Mickey shielded Ian from it for a moment and then finally showed Ian.

“Mickey.”

Mickey smiled, “Yes, Ian.” 

Ian’s hand rested on Mickey’s hip, “You got another tattoo.”

Mickey nodded, “Look more closely at what it’s of-”

Ian looked closer, “Feet?”

“They, uh, they are the footprints of Yevgeny and Tori.”

Ian took a sharp inhale and his face turned red and then his eyes became rimmed with red, he was about to cry, “It’s beautiful.”

The feet were baby feet, one of each child from when they were born, they were placed so that they looked like footsteps, it looked as if they were ink pressed onto his skin with beautiful shading. Ian could see all the wrinkles of the feet and even the small swirls of toe prints on each foot that would identify them as each child's. 

“I plan to get their names in their handwriting when Tori turns Yev’s age. I already have a sample of Yevgeny’s handwriting.” Ian’s eyes were red and wet and Mickey picked up Ian’s face and then pressed a kiss to his lips. “After the names, I promise, no more tattoos.”

“If you wanted more, I wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t.”

Ian smiled, “I actually think that, uh, if you don’t mind... maybe, uh, could I, uh, get the same thing somewhere else?”

Mickey smiled, “Why not, firecrotch. Where were you thinkin’?” His finger trailed down Ian’s chest.

“Maybe my upper inner arm?” Ian suggested as he brushed his finger against his left arm in the spot that he liked. 

Mickey nodded, “If you wanna do it, I’ll call my tattooist.”

Ian nodded, “I think that that would be good. I, uh, like his work, but I love his canvas even more.”

A very tiny smile crossed Mickey’s lips and he had a light blush to his cheeks, “Well, I, uh, met the guy in prison. He was not the guy who did the” he motioned towards where the ‘Ian Galeger’ tattoo had once been “but he was the one who fixed it. He’s a nice guy,”

Ian gulped and then asked, “Does he know?”

“Yeah. He does. He’s supportive of my being gay, he’s dated a few men.”

The red head nodded, “Sounds good,” he then looked at the floor and shuffled his feet, “Mick, could you, uh, come with me?”

Mickey wrapped his arms around Ian’s neck, slightly stretching his tattoo, which was painful, but he ignored it, “Sure, firecrotch.”

  
  


Two weeks later, Ian picked up Mickey from work and they headed towards the tattoo parlor. 

“Did you drop the kid’s off at Fi’s?” Mickey asked as he pulled the footprints out of his briefcase.

Ian shook his head as he turned onto the highway, “No, she came over to the house. She thought that it might be easier.” He tapped his fingers on the wheel nervously.

Mickey nodded and pulled some paperwork out of his briefcase, death certificates that he was in charge of checking before cremation and or burial, “Stupid paperwork.”

“Paperwork’s part of the job. How was work?”

“Good. I had some massive restorations that I had to do, and, uh, I was asked to become a partner.”

Ian looked at Mickey for a brief second with a slack jaw, “Holy shit, Mickey! That’s fuckin’ great! This is exactly what you wanted!” 

Mickey nodded, “Yeah. It’s great. Especially since we have set up money for buying my share. So, from now on, I’ll be getting half the profits, instead of just getting paid by Jack. I’ll also have say in expansion and anything relating to the business.”

“That’s so great, babe.”

They got off the highway and soon were pulling into the tattoo parlors parking.

Mickey walked beside Ian as they approached the shop and they sat checked in and then sat in the waiting area. 

Ian fingered the papers in Mickey’s hands and Mickey took his hand, “You’ll be fine. You can say no at any time.”

“Nope. Nope. I want to do this. Don’t give me a way out.”

Mickey chuckled and then under his breathe said, “well, if you’re a good boy, then I’ll reward you later tonight.”

A man with rather large biceps and blonde hair appeared near the counter, “Aye! It’s the Milkovich meister!”

“Hey, Jonah.” Mickey said as he stood up and they shook hands.

Jonah looked at Ian and then back at Mickey, “This him?” 

Mickey nodded, “Yeah. This is Ian.”

Ian stood up and shook Jonah’s hand as Jonah introduced himself.

Jonah sucker punched Mickey in the arm, “Dude, you got a nice one. And here I thought you were dating some sort of prison junkie. But, man, this dude’s hot. Nice work.”

“Dude, he’s hardcore. He’s been to military prison.” Mickey said as he wrapped his arm around Ian’s waist.

“No shit? Couldn’t tell you were military. What branch?”

Ian cringed as they walked to Jonah’s table, “Army. Well, kinda. Dishonorable discharge at Basic.”

Jonah laughed a little, “Okay, you gotta tell me the story now, man.” He smiled at him as he wiped down the table for the second time, Mickey had told Ian that Jonah was a little bit of a clean freak. 

“Well, uh, I’m bipolar. So, uh, that didn’t go well. I, uh, didn’t know at the time and I had one of my batshit moments. I stole a helicopter, broke it, stole my brother’s identity to join since I was underage, and then stole army issued boxer briefs. They did not get those back.” He laughed at the last part.

“Dude, that’s like, epic. So, like, how did they find you?”

Ian cringed, “Well, my half siblings half sister from their dad reported me to the MP’s after my half brother, Carl, incarcerated her son by stashing drugs onto him, he was eleven at the time. So, Sammi, the half sister of my half siblings, who is thankfully not related to me, was furious and she found out that I had run away from the army and she reported me to get back at my half sister. It’s just a long story. And now she’s in jail for trying to kill Mickey.”

Jonah looked stunned, “Wow.” and then he brought out a tray of ink. “Can you, uh, take your shirt off? It’ll give me better access.”

Ian nodded and slipped off his shirt, revealing his side tattoo of the eagle riding the rifle.

“Cool ink. That from the military?”

Ian nodded briskly and laid on the table, “Yeah.” 

“Sweet.” He then turned to Mickey, “Mick, if you want to you can, you know, sit down.” Jonah said as he gestured towards the seat next to the head of the table. 

Ian draped his right arm off the side of the table as Mickey sat down and grabbed his hand.

“So, you two have kids, right?”

Mickey nodded, “Yeah. Those are who the feet belong to. One of each of theirs.”

“Boys or girls?”

Ian smiled at Mickey as Jonah wiped his arm with alcohol, sanitizing the skin, “both. One boy and one girl. The boy’s four and the girl is two months.”

Jonah nodded as he placed the stencil that had been used for Mickey on the inner portion of Ian’s left upper arm. 

As the tattoo machine pricked ink into Ian’s arm, he squeezed Mickey’s hand, trying not to scream out in pain. He could be a total wuss when it came to pain. But, he got through it and eventually, they were standing in front of the mirror with Ian’s arm out to the side admiring it.

“It’s beautiful.” Ian said. “Thank you so much.”

“Nothing I wouldn’t do for my buddy’s husband.”

Ian and Mickey paid and Mickey took Ian home to nurse the new tattoo on Ian’s body.


	19. When Babies Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maryellen590 (AO3): You know what it be cool to have a chapter in lil yevgeny mind as baby see what he thinks of his parents Its just a thought that struck me with this chapter. We always wonder what baby thinks haha just a thought. Thank you for this update.

_**February 11th 2015** _

“Alright, so now what I’m going to want you two to do is get him in the carseat and I’ll test it out and make sure that it’s okay for him to go home in.”  
Ian carefully placed the baby in the carseat and Mickey did the buckles exclaiming, “He sure is a tiny little fucker, isn’t he.”  
_‘I sure fuckin’ am and I fuckin’ hate it’_ , the baby thought to himself.  
The nurse looked appalled for a moment and then started checking the carseat and writing notes down until finally she declared that the carseat was indeed safe and that Ian and Mickey could go home.  
Mickey filled out what was left of the paperwork and they left their hospital room.  
A nurse was behind them pushing a cart of their stuff, Ian’s family and co-workers had brought lots of gifts and cards all which were currently on the cart.  
Ian sat in a wheelchair carefully cradling their son’s car seat to his chest as Mickey pushed the chair down the hallway, “Did you make sure that Mandy was coming back with the car?” Ian asked as he rested his hand on his son’s belly and let the infant's fingers curl around his finger in a fist.  
“Yeah. I made sure. She said that she’s out there already.”  
The baby yawned and Ian almost went crazy, “Did you see that, Mick?” He was completely lovestruck. He had been since he had first laid eyes on the child. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t Ian’s flesh and blood, all that mattered was that Ian loved the kid already.  
“Yeah, Red, I saw.” Mickey said as he yawned.  
_‘Does this guy hate me already? I’m a goddamn baby, how could he hate me. This other guy fuckin’ adores me... This shit_ _doesn’t make sense_.’ The kid thought.  
Mickey had barely gotten any sleep the night before, he had been up all night watching this child, that just so happened to share his DNA, wriggle about and cry, because Ian wouldn’t allow the kid to go back to the nursery for the night.  
“He looks so much like you, Mick. He’s got your nose.” Ian stroked his thumb against the baby’s soft cheek as they arrived at the pickup area.  
_‘Really? I look like him. Oh, wait, right, apparently I’m that guy’s kid and not Carrotboy’s kid? That’s what his name is right?’_  
Mandy had indeed shown up and she was parked right out front. The nurse helped Mandy get all the things from the cart into the trunk as Ian and Mickey got the car seat into the car and made sure that it was completely secure, so that there would be no baby flying through the front window at anytime. Ian sat next to the carseat in the back and kept his eyes on the infant as Mickey went up to the front to sit.  
Ian knew that Mickey was having a hard time adjusting to the idea that now he had to share Ian with another life form.  
_‘So, uh, boys, I’m wet. I think I pissed myself. Clean me! I’m gonna cry! I will fuckin’ cry if I need to to get changed.”_  
The baby cried and Ian rested his hand on the baby’s stomach, “Mick, I think that he wet himself.”  
“Well, he’s gonna have to fuckin’ wait until we get home. It’s too dangerous to change him in the car.”  
Ian sighed and eventually stuck his pinkie in the kid’s mouth, “shhh Yev. I’ll change you once we get home.”  
_‘Okay. There’s a finger in my mouth. I can deal with this.’_  
When they got home, Ian went to the bedroom and Mickey took the baby into the bathroom and laid him on the floor and took the kids diaper off, “Alright, buddy, let’s get you changed.”  
_‘Okay, maybe this guys not bad after all. I mean apparently he’s my dad. So, uh, dad’s not too bad. He’s changing me, so that’s a plus.’_  
“We gotta stay quiet now. Your daddy is trying to sleep.”  
_‘Wait. So, I have like two dads?’_  
Mickey put the clean diaper on the baby and watched him move and blink slowly, “You gonna take a nap, kiddo?”  
_‘Yeah. I guess.’_ Yevgeny thought as his eyelids became heavy.  
Mickey picked the kid up and held him against his chest and carried him into his bedroom where Ian was lying down. He climbed into bed next to Ian and laid down, resting the infant on his chest, so that he was soothed by his father’s heartbeat.  
_‘Okay. This dad’s okay too._ ’ Yevgeny thought before he drifted off to sleep.


	20. Grief and Longing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Mickey's mom? Who was she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation from the chapter from Gallavich in The Sheets called Safe.
> 
> A lot of people in the community hate that Mickey's mom is never there or explained so.... 
> 
> There's reference to rape and there is talk of murder.

**_November 17th 2014_ **

 

Mickey hadn’t gotten out of bed since the night before when he had gone into full panic attack mode, and Ian was getting increasingly concerned. The older man was awake, but he was wrapped up in the bed sheets, with them pulled up to his face, so that Ian could only see the top of his head.

Ian had called in sick that morning, saying that he needed the day off, because his partner was very sick. Since it was his first family emergency, his boss had given him an easy time taking the day off. So now, Ian was sitting on the edge of the bed nervously watching his partner just lie there and do nothing.

“Hey, Mick? Wanna go do something?” Ian asked as he placed his hand in Mickey’s hair. “We can go shooting if you want?” He stroked Mickey’s hair, “Or we could take another bath?” He sighed, “That seemed to help yesterday. You wanna do that?” There was no response. “Do you wanna talk about it?” Mickey used a shaky hand to pull Ian close, “Want me to come in?” Mickey nodded and so Ian slipped under the covers and Mickey backed himself into Ian and Ian spooned Mickey’s body, wrapping his arms around his partner. Ian pressed a kiss to the back of Ian’s neck.

“I hate my dad.” Mickey muttered under his breath as he drew circles on Ian’s arm with his finger.

Ian pulled him even closer and stroked his hair, “I know. I know, Mickey.”

Mickey sighed, “Sometimes, I really miss my mom, you know?”

Ian held onto Mickey’s hand, “I know.”

Mickey ran his fingers along Ian’s hand, “I told her about you, before she died.”

Ian picked up his head for a moment, “What?”

“I told her about you. About us. She was happy that I had found someone, even tried to get me to admit it to myself that I was in love with you. Ma said that it didn’t matter if I was gay, and that she had known all along. Even told me about how when I was little, I used to get embarrassed around you.” Mickey’s breath hitched. “She tried to protect me, E. She tried so hard. I just, I fuckin’ can’t, believe that she’s gone. How could my dad have done that to her? How could he kill her, and like he did?” 

Ian sighed, “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

“I just remember it so well. She had come home from her corner and gotten a beer out of the fridge, she tried to hide her money, but dad, dad got angry ‘cause she wouldn’t give up the cash. It was money for me to get out, Ian. For me and you to get out with Mandy and my brothers. Money to move away, but, he found it. Beat her hard, and then killed her using drugs. He made her OD on heroin. He cut her up and then took her body to dump her. Said that if I told anyone that he would kill me and my siblings, plus there’s no evidence. He knows his way around evidence.” Mickey curled in the fetal position. 

“I know, baby. I know.” 

Mickey closed his eyes, “She knew that dad was raping me as a kid, but there was nothing she could do. Ma tried to get me help, but he just fuckin’ kept doing it. Every fuckin’ day, until he thought that it was making him look gay. Then, he just turned to Mandy, and I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for that. She may be a real bitch, but she’s been through a lot because of me.”

“Mickey, that’s not fair. None of this is your fault. It’s all Terry’s fault. Viktoriya tried her hardest to protect you, even she knew that it was all Terry’s fault. It was never your fault and it never will be, ever.”

Mickey sighed, “I just wish that she could be at the wedding. See me getting married to you. She would have loved that.”

Ian nodded, “I know. She would have been so proud of you. So fuckin’ proud of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Mickey's mom was a prostitute (I like to think that this is why he became a pimp-- so that he was protecting his girls from the other pimps) and yes she was brutally murdered in front of her children. The killing happened place between seasons 1 and 2.


	21. Three Milkovich Kids

**_ March 21st 2022 _ **

 

Mickey hurriedly scrambled eggs in the pan and took a sip of his coffee, “Ian, will you get the kids out here. I’m makin’ eggs. They gotta eat before they go to school.” Mickey said as he glanced at the oven. The bacon was not burning, all was good. 

Ian appeared with Tori in his arms and Yevgeny at his side, “I’m superman. Aren’t I?”

Mickey snickered and took the eggs off the stove and then pressed a kiss to Ian’s lips, “Yes, you are.” He ran his fingers through Ian’s hair. “You’re my super man.”

“Ewwwww.” Tori squealed as her father’s shared another kiss.

Mickey smiled as Ian and him broke the kiss, “Aw, can’t your daddies show each other some love.” He looked at his daughter and took her from Ian, “Can’t we, baby girl? Hmmm?”

She giggled as rested her head on Mickey’s shoulder as Ian smiled at them and then ushered Yevgeny to the table.

He went to the cabinets and pulled out two mugs, and started filling them with coffee as Mickey settled his daughter into a chair at the table, pressing a kiss in her hair.

Mickey assembled the plates of food and brought them over to the kids, “Here we go, breakfast of champions.” He kissed the heads of both his kids and then pressed a kiss to Ian’s forehead, “Eat up. We gotta get going soon.” 

There was a knock at the door and Ian said, “I’ll get it. You guys start. I’ll be right there. It’s probably the mail guy.” 

He left the kitchen and went to go answer the door as Mickey spooned soft cereal into Viktoriya’s mouth saying, “ah” every time his daughter ate from the spoon, “That yummy?”

“Mick? It’s your sister.” 

“Hey, Mands, you know that you have a key. You can use it.” Mickey said as he wiped some excess food from the corner of Viktoriya’s mouth. 

“No, uh, Mick. It’s the other one.”

Mickey dropped the spoon into the plate and got up from the table, “Molly?” Ian brought a girl, of around 16 over, she had dark brown hair and was about Mickey’s height, “Shit. Well, uh. I guess I can make some more breakfast. Come sit down.” He then looked at Ian, “Can you finish feedin’ Tori?”

Ian nodded and closed the door behind Molly, “So, uh, why are you here exactly?”

“Mom... I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Mickey nodded as Molly took a seat at the table and as he heated up the stove once more, “So, uh, how did you find us?” He said as he pointed the spatula at Molly.

“Mick, put it down.” Ian said as he finished spooning the food into Viktoriya’s mouth.  “Uh, I gotta go change her.” Ian said as he picked up his daughter.

Yevgeny scarfed down his eggs, “D-dad. More.”

“What about a please?” Mickey asked.

“P-p-please.”

Mickey gave him a thumbs up, “Will do, kiddo. Go get your hair combed while I cook ‘em.”  Yev got up and went running upstairs. And Mickey turned his attention to Molly, “So, uh you didn’t answer my question.” 

Molly nodded, “Right. I asked around. Figured it out. I’m resourceful.”

“Easy enough for dad to figure out?”

“Nah. Probably not. Speaking of, where is he?”

Mickey shook his head, “The fuck should I know. Probably jail, seeing as he hasn’t come after me or my partner yet.”

Molly tilted her head, “Business partner?”

Mickey laughed as he transferred the eggs onto a plate, “No. My husband. Ian’s my husband.” Mickey flashed her a quick view of his ring. “Married. Not just ghetto married. Real married. Legal and all that shit, and we can thank the goddamn state of Illi-fuckin’-nois. Those two are our kids.”

The girl smiled as her brother slid her a plate of eggs and bacon, “So, you’re gay?”

“Big ‘ol fuckin’ mo.” Mickey said as Yevgeny came zipping back into the room. “Whoa whoa whoa. Slow it down kid. You’re gonna ram yourself into a wall.” He put a plate in front of Yevgeny’s chair. “Now, sit down and finish before Pa’s gotta take you to school.” 

Molly dug into her eggs as Ian came back, “She’s clean, Mick.” The little girl was deposited into Mickey’s waiting arms.

“Good.” Mickey said as he held his daughter against his hip. “E, I made you lunch. It’s in the fridge. So, if you get hungry and I can’t come up,  it’s in there. Did you take your meds?”

Ian nodded, “Yes.” He wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s lips. “Thank you for the lunch.” He then turned his attention to Molly, “Do you need somewhere to stay?”

“If that’s okay?” Molly asked, “I can help around the house.”

Ian shook his head, “No, we’re family. You’re good. You can stay in the guest room until you’re ready to leave. All you gotta do is get enrolled in highschool. Have you ever been to school?” Molly shook her head, “Okay. Then I guess we’ll take a trip to the local highschool and get you enrolled.” 

Mickey sighed, “When I get downstairs, I’ll call Mands. She needs to be in on this.”

Ian nodded, “So, uh, Molly, you’re going to stay with me for the day, ‘cause, uh, Mickey’s gotta work.”

“Where does he work?”

“He works here. Downstairs as an embalmer. This is a funeral home.”

Molly thought about that for a moment, “Cool. Couldn’t I just work here?”

Mickey shook his head, “No. You would have to be licensed. School’s better. You can work here if you go to Mortuary school.”

“So, uh, why then do you guys live here? In a funeral home?”

Mickey took a bit of toast, “Cheaper and I’m a lot easier to reach in time of crisis for whoever needs assistance. My business partner didn’t want it, so we decided to move in. It has nice space.”

Molly nodded, “That’s cool.”

Ian nodded in response, he enjoyed their alternative lifestyle. He was an embalmer and funeral director’s husband and he had even started helping around the funeral home. He was in charge of the flowers and making sure that things were in order and that the downstairs portion of the house looked decent.

Mickey grabbed his briefcase and pressed a kiss to the side of Ian’s head, “I gotta go to work now. See you guys later.” He pressed a kiss to Viktoriya and Yev’s heads and then headed down to the basement. 

“So, he really does work with dead people?” Molly asked as Ian picked Viktoriya up from where Mickey had put her down. 

“Yeah. It’s a family business. If one of the kids wants it, they can get certified and own it. Recently, Mickey’s partner has decided that next year, he’s gonna retire. He’s giving us the option to buy him out and Mickey and I are saving for it. The house is just one of the perks. His partner though, he’s a good man. It’ll be a shame to see him go. But since Mickey joined, we’ve had excellent business. We’re one of the top funeral homes in Chicago. In only a year, it’ll be the Milkovich Funeral Home and Crematorium.” Ian said with a smile.

Yevgeny grabbed his backpack and tugged on Ian’s hand, “We gotta go, daddy.” 

“I know.” He smiled at Molly, “Let’s go. You can come with me when I drop the kids off. Then we can stop at the highschool.”

  
  


That night, Mickey came back early and so they had a large sit down meal. All five of them.

“So, how did the highschool search go?” Mickey asked as he spoon fed Tori.

Ian swallowed the food in his mouth, “It went well. Molly tested into freshman year, which is great considering she’s never been to school before. She starts tomorrow.” 

“Good.” Mickey said as he put the spoon in his daughter’s mouth, “Very good.” He looked at his son who was picking at his food with his fork, “You gonna eat, buddy, or not?”

Yev nodded and started eating.

“So, Mick, how was work?” Ian asked as he cut up his steak.

Mickey sighed, “Pretty good. Mandy’s comin’ over tomorrow. We gotta discuss the whole Terry thing, and how we are going to ever get him to agree to sign guardianship of you over to us. Just so that we can be at school meetings and so you don’t need to deal with Terry. That okay?”

Molly nodded, “Yeah.”

“Alright. Well, I can’t believe that we’ve forgotten to tell Yev, we were just so busy this morning.” Ian said as he smiled at Yev.

“W-w-w-w-what?” Yevgeny asked as he looked up from his food.

Ian smiled at the kid, “You know who this is right?” He said as he pointed to Molly.

“Y-y-yes, that’s a-a-aunt M-m-m-molly.”

Molly smiled, “How does he know that?”

Mickey smiled and scoffed, “I guess that Ian’s photo albums really worked.” He sighed, “He’s been working on these photo albums forever, and we had one photo of you and it was put in in the Milkovich siblings section. So, uh, whenever he goes through the book he amazing that I have so many siblings.”

“Really?”

Ian nodded, “It’s true. It’s been so important to us that they know their family or at least know of... well everyone but Terry. We leave him out.”

“D-d-daddys. I-I-I’m done e-eating. C-c-can aunt M-m-m-molly c-c-come p-play w-w-w-w-with m-m-me?”

Mickey watched as his son got up from his seat and then went to go clean his plate and put it in the dishwasher, “You should ask Molly.”

Yevgeny put his dish in the dishwasher and then stood by Molly’s side, “W-w-w-will y-you p-play w-w-w-w-with me?”

Molly nodded and cleared her plate and then went off to play with Yevgeny in the playroom.

“Well, I think that this is gonna work nicely.” Ian said as he picked up his glass of water.

Mickey nodded, “It’s good. I think that she really needs some actual family. I’m okay with her crashing here. Are you?”

“Yeah. Totally. I think it’ll be a good thing.” 

  



	22. Thunderstorm of Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anon (tumblr): Omg how about mickey being really scared of thunderstorms and he's in bed while ian's still watching tv so he goes to Ian and cuddles up to him because he's scared. And Ian finding it super cute and comforting him awh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a real short ficlet :3

The room shook and Mickey yelped, “Fuckin’ shit.” Mickey double checked that Yevgeny was safe and asleep in his crib. Which he was indeed.  
The room shook again and the lights flickered and then went out, “Fuck! Fuck! Where’s the power box?” He had no idea.   
He sat up in bed and curled up into a ball, “Ian! The power’s out!”  
“Mickey, I know. I can see that. Where are you?” Ian asked as he felt along the walls.   
Mickey was literally shaking, “I’m fuckin’ flippin’ out, Ian.”  
Ian sighed as the room shook and the lightening flashed, “Where are you?”  
“Bedroom.” Mickey said as he pulled the sheet up and tried to control his shaking.  
Ian made his way to the bedroom, “It’s just a power outage, Mick. It’ll come back on soon.”  
Mickey was ready to nearly piss his pants, he hated thunder, it was just too loud and it freaked him out.   
He tried to curl up tighter as Ian entered the bedroom and found Mickey in bed, “hi.” he said softly.  
“Fuckin’ get in bed now.” Mickey said as another roll of thunder boomed.  
Ian chuckled and slipped under the sheets of the bed and wrapped himself around Mickey, “It’s okay. It’s just thunder.”   
Mickey nodded, but pressed his face into Ian’s chest and pulled him super close, “Shhh, tough guy, I got you. We just gotta wait until the power comes back on, and then we’ll have light again.”  
Mickey nodded and held Ian close, “Don’t let go. Please, don’t let go.”  
It was adorable to Ian just how sometimes Mickey really did have a huge craving for physical attention and that Mickey really did have phobias. His main phobias consisted of fireworks, thunderstorms, and spiders. Put him in a situation when he had to deal with them, and he really lost it.   
The brown haired man sighed as he pressed a kiss to Ian’s pale clavicle.  
“I won’t leave you, don’t worry, Mick. I’ll stay here until you calm down and go to sleep.”  
Mickey nodded and then inhaled Ian’s sweet scent, there was no earthly way to describe it, he smelled like heaven.  
Ian pressed his nose into Mickey’s hair, he loved Mickey’s smell. He smelled like his Old Spice deodorant and a tad of his sweat. That was the scent of love for Ian, nothing else.  
“Want me to give you a back rub?”  
Mickey nodded and Ian went to the bathroom to get massage oil, a lavender scented product that he had purchased at the local pharmacy for times like this. He brought the bottle into the bedroom and found Mickey lying on his stomach, “I’m fuckin’ ready.”  
Ian snickered and sat on the edge of the bed, he poured oil onto Mickey’s back and slowly started massaging Mickey’s back, working out all the knots that had formed in the days since his last massage from Ian.  
“You’re really tight, babe.”  
Mickey chuckled, “Fuck yeah, I am.”  
Ian stuck out his tongue at his partner, “Not in that way.” Ian said as he worked his fingers through a tough knot.  
The red head set to work massaging Mickey until finally over thirty minutes later, he was asleep.  
Ian managed to tuck him in and then he crawled into his side of the bed, lightly spooning his partner as he too drifted off.


	23. There's no Fun in Funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death is in this chapter.

Recruit Gallagher was studying at the breakrooms table. He had finished his physical training for the day and was now in the throws of studying for his exam on military terminology and also for a test on emergency medical care.   
“Yo! Gallagher? You wanna go play some ball with us in the courtyard?” Recruit Sander asked as he threw on his jacket, getting ready to go out in the rain.  
“No, Sanders. I have stuff to study for.” Gallagher said with a wave of his hand as he flipped the pages of his notes. “Next time.”  
There never was a next time. 

 

There was a knock on the apartment door and Ian got up from his desk and went to go answer it.  
“Coming!” Ian shouted as he hurried towards the door.   
He flung the door open only to see a Lieutenant standing at his door, “Ian Gallagher?” The Lieutenant said with a serious tone.  
Ian ran his fingers through his hair and nodded, “Yeah. That’s me.”   
“I have been asked to inform you that your friend has been reported dead in Kabul, Afghanistan at 1400 on May 3, 2015. He was killed by gunshot. On the behalf of the Secretary of Defense, I extend to you and his family my deepest sympathy in your great loss.”  
Ian couldn’t speak and finally he found the words, “He didn’t have f-family.” He said as he rubbed his lip nervously with his thumb.   
The Lieutenant handed over a packet of information and then left Ian reeling in the doorway, “fuck,’ Ian said as he slammed the door and then sauntered over to his desk chair where he collapsed and then tossed the packet of information onto the table. 

“Ian, I’m home. Why is the baby crying?” Mickey asked as he entered the apartment. He found Ian sitting in his office, just staring at the wall, “Ian?”   
All he could hear was Ian muttering, “He’s dead. He’s dead,” over and over again.   
“Who’s dead?” Mickey asked as he kneeled in front of Ian, trying to look Ian in the eyes.  
Ian looked away, “Kyle.”  
“Who is Kyle?” Mickey asked as he put his hand on Ian’s knee.  
Ian shook his head, “My friend. Army. Dead. Dead. He’s fuckin’ dead.”  
Mickey stood up and enveloped Ian into his arms, “What do you need me to do?”  
“Read the packet. Tell me if I have to organize anything.” Ian said as he held on tightly to Mickey.  
They agreed to go upstairs to talk about what had happened and so that Mickey could tell Ian what he had to do in order to prepare for a funeral.   
Mickey sat on the bed and Ian sat in his lap, clutching onto Mickey’s arm for dear life as Mickey opened the manilla folder, pulling out a list.   
“His funeral has already been planned. It’s going to be in Chicago. It’s going to be a military funeral. They have already given the options, and he had written up a will with all the information in there. He also prepaid for embalming and pre-prepared all his funeral requests. It says that he wishes to be buried with a casket draped with the American flag, pallbearers, he then requested that his casket be pulled by riderless horses, which apparently symbolizes that he is a fallen leader, that Taps plays in the distance, and that finally a three volley salute is shot will be performed by 7 servicemen.” Ian nodded, “His body is already at the funeral home he selected and they know what he asked for. He’ll be buried on Monday at Rosehill Cemetery.”   
Ian nodded, “Fuck. I can’t believe that he’s dead. It just doesn’t make any sense.”  
Mickey nodded and held him closer, “I know. I know.” He said, trying to soothe his partner.

On Monday,   
Ian was getting dressed in his military formals, he wasn’t ready for the funeral of one of his best combat friends. They had been so close, and all he could do was remember that final day that he didn’t go play basketball with the guys. That next morning, Ian had ran away. It had taken a few months before Ian could even write a letter to him. He thought that a letter would be more heartfelt. They had sent each other letters over the past few months, just catching up, and now one year and six months later, his friend was dead, and he was never going to see him again.  
“Ian.” Mickey said as he took the beret that Ian was clutching in his hands from him, “You gotta finish getting ready.”  
Ian had been staring at a wall for a full five minutes now, it was like he was in a dream world, he shook himself out of it, “Yeah.” His throat felt dry with the response and Mickey put the beret onto Ian’s head making sure that the top of Ian’s hair was completely covered. The day before, Ian had let Mickey cut his hair so that it fit army regulations once more, Mickey had actually done a very good job and Ian was fairly satisfied with it.   
Mickey’s hands grazed the back of Ian’s neck for a moment and he looked him in the eyes, “You’re gonna be okay, tough guy.” Ian nodded and tugged on Mickey’s tie as Mickey’s fingers ran along Ian’s name plate, “Gallagher.” He couldn’t help but smile as he said it.   
A tiny smile crossed Ian’s face and then he took Mickey’s hand, “I’m ready.”  
“Good.” Mickey said as he squeezed his husband’s cold hand, “You look good.”  
Ian nodded a thank you and then they left.  
Ian could barely hold it together on the ride there and when they did get to the cemetery, he had an even harder time as he watched his friend being lowered into the ground as his partner held him close.  
He was quiet through the rest of the day, affected by what he saw. Sad that he missed out on a lot of opportunities with the army, but if he had stayed with the army, he didn’t know if he would still have Mickey, and Mickey was so much more important to him.  
That night as they sat in bed talking about the events of the day, Mickey held Ian close, squeezing his hand for comfort, “I think that I want to become a funeral director.”


	24. Sicky Mickey

 

“Mick. Hey, Mick. You gotta get up to work on that project for Steven.” Ian said as he pulled the sheet off his partner. Mickey moaned and rolled over in bed and clutched a pillow to his stomach, “I’m serious.”

Mickey shook his head, “No. Sick.” He said as he tried to pull the sheets from Ian’s grasp. 

Ian sighed, “Okay. I’ll call him and tell him that you can’t do it.”

Mickey nodded and rolled, “Thanks.” 

Ian pressed the back of his hand to Mickey’s forehead, feeling warmth coming off of it he pulled his hand back, “You’re running a fever. I’ll go get a wet washcloth.”

Ian left and returned to the bedroom with a glass of water, a tablet of Ibuprofen, and a wet washcloth.

“I don’t need help.” Mickey said as he moaned in pain.

Ian scoffed, “Yes, yes, you do. You’re sick, Mick. You’re gonna have to let the tough guy act go. You’re sick. I’m taking care of you, that’s that.” Ian’s red hair flopped in his face.

“You have work fuckhead.” 

Ian shook his head, “No. I said that I wasn’t going to come in, and that I had someone that I needed to take care of.”

Mickey groaned, “I hate you.” He said with no venom.

“I hate you too.” Ian said as he stuck his tongue out at his partner and handed the tablet to Mickey. “Here you go. Take that, it’ll bring your fever down.”

Mickey swallowed the pill dry, which made Ian cringe, but then he started blotting the wet cloth against his boyfriend’s heated forehead. 

“Thanks, E.” Mickey said as he closed his eyes.

Ian noticed that Mickey was actually sweating, “Maybe, we should put you in a bath? See if that takes your temp down?” Mickey nodded. “You want that baby?”

Mickey nodded, “a bath would be nice.”

Ian took his boyfriend’s arm and helped him up, “Let’s get you a bath. That might help you feel better. Do you feel nauseous?”

Mickey nodded and slowly waddled next to Ian, “Yeah. I feel like shit.”

They made their way into the bathroom and Mickey then sat on the toilet seat as Ian started filling the tub with warm water. 

“Hopefully, this will help you get your fever down.”

As the water filled the tub Ian stood in front of Mickey, Mickey’s head rested on his abdomen and his fingers gently scratching his lover’s head as Mickey moaned lightly.

“I’m so cold.” Mickey said as he sighed, Ian’s fingers folding through his hair. 

The tub was half-full and Ian’s fingers scratched a little harder, “The tub’s almost full, babe.”

Mickey listened to the gentle inhales and exhales before he responded, “It’s taking too long.”

A shiver came up his back, “I wanna be fuckin’ warm.”

Ian wrapped his free arm around Mickey’s waist, “You’ll be warm soon. We just gotta get you into the tub.” Mickey groaned as Ian turned his head to check the bath, “it’s full. Let’s get you in.” 

Ian helped Mickey over to the tub and then helped him get in, “Are you gonna come in?” Mickey asked as he sank into the warm water, immediately warming up. 

“No. I want you to be able to relax, but I’ll sit out here next to you.”

Mickey nodded and leaned back against the back of the tub, “Thank you for doing this.”

Ian nodded, “No problem. We gotta get you better though. Lots of rest for you.”

“Is that why you won’t come in?” Mickey asked as he closed his eyes and tried to relax a little. 

Ian shook his head, “I don’t want you to get a boner that I’ll have to fix.  The last thing you need right now is sex.”

“Come on. I always need sex.” 

“Not until you are better.” Ian said as he stroked his fingers against Mickey’s hand.

Mickey scoffed and his head lolled a little, eyes still closed, “Is that supposed to be incentive for me to get better? Just so that you can fuck me?”

Ian nodded, “Yeah. That’s the only reason.”

Mickey sighed, “Sounds good. I’ll try.”

The redhead took a cup from the counter and filled it with water and then poured it lightly over Mickey’s head, “Let’s get you clean, you dirty fucker.”

The brunette laughed, “Okay.” 

Ian squirted shampoo into the palm of his hand and then wiped it onto Mickey’s hair and then started a very slow massage, causing Mickey to moan, “I fuckin’ love you.”

Ian nodded, “I know.” 

As the shampoo turned into foam, Ian filled up the glass with clean water with his free hand. He then slowly started to pour it over Mickey’s hair, getting all the shampoo out of his lover’s hair and causing Mickey to grin, “Warm. Mmmm.” 

“Feelin’ better?” Ian asked as he then put the glass on the counter and then rested his hands on the lip of the bathtub. 

Mickey nodded, “Yeah, much better.”

Ian smiled, “Good.” He helped Mickey out of the tub, wrapping him in a warm towel and then pulled the stopper on the tub, allowing it to drain as he helped Mickey into the bedroom. “I’ll get you some warm pajamas and you can just veg out here.” 

Mickey nodded, “ Mmmm, sounds nice.” they reached the edge of the bed and Ian helped Mickey get in. 

He then went to the drawer and pulled out a pair of his army sweatpants and his large army shirt and a pair of underwear, “Let’s get ya toasty.” He brought the clothes over to Mickey and then helped pull the clothing onto Mickey.

Once in the pajamas, Ian pulled the sheets up to Mickey’s chest and slipped in next to him, “We should get some rest.”

Mickey nodded and closed his eyes and drifted off and Ian pulled him into his arms. 


	25. Soon-To-Be Hubbys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> @fiafaust (AO3) suggested that I have Iggy and the other Milkovich brothers being supportive of Mickey's being gay.
> 
>  
> 
> I am so sorry that this took so long. I wanted to make sure that I got it right. I hope that you enjoy it! :)

 

Mickey held his new purple tie in his hand, not a hundred percent sure what tomorrow was hold. He was getting married the next day, and his anxiety was mounting. 

Someone knocked on his door and then opened it when he never responded, “Dude? Did you hear me? Dinner’s ready.” His brother, Iggy, said as he leaned against the doorframe. 

Mickey exhaled slowly with a quiver of nervousness in it, “Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

“You nervous?” Iggy asked, for once actually making the fact that he did care known.

Mickey nodded briskly, “I’m fuckin’ freakin’ out. What if Terry comes?”

“He won’t come. He’s in jail and even if he made it out, your bro’s have got your back. We won’t let him in.”

Mickey gulped, knowing that this was a serious statement, he didn’t know what to say until the awkward, “thanks,” came out.  He turned the purple tie over in his hands repeatedly. It was the color that Ian had chosen for their wedding color. 

“You know that none of us care that you’re gay.” Iggy said as he patted Mickey on the back, “We all got your back.” 

Mickey rubbed his hands together with the tie between them, “I’m fuckin’ nervous. What if we get up there and he leaves. What if he decides he doesn’t want to get married?”

Iggy scoffed, “He’s not gonna do that, and you fuckin’ know it. He’s like head-over-heals with you.” Iggy said as he took the tie from his brother and draped it over the doorknob, “by tomorrow night, you’ll be a married man, Mick. Nothing to be scared of. Where’s the other groom speaking of which?”

“At his house. He’s prepping his suit and everything other there since he’s going over there in the morning... something about it being bad luck seeing him getting dressed. Not like I’ve never seen it before... but he’ll be back soon hopefully.”

Iggy slapped Mickey on the back, “Go eat, kid.”

Mickey smacked his brother’s arm, “Fuck you. I’m not a kid.”

“You’re short and you’re my little bro, therefore you are a kid.”

Mickey got up and went into the kitchen just as Ian was arriving home, “heyo.” 

“In the kitchen!” Mickey shouted as he drew circles on the table with his finger. 

Ian sauntered his way into the kitchen, “I’m back.” He stole a piece of bacon and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek, “how are you, soon-to-be hubby?”

“Fine. It was fine.” Mickey said as he picked up the remaining piece of bacon. “Why did you steal my bacon, bitch?”

“I believe the term is hot bitch who fucks me.” Ian said as he brought the delicious fatty bacon to his mouth. 

Mickey snickered and pointed to the chair and with his mouth half full said, “You gonna sit?”

Ian sat down and tapped his finger on the table, “Did you make sure that everything fits?”

Mickey nodded, “Yeah. Everything fits well. What about you?”

“Yeah. Everything fits. Does it feel kinda weird that tomorrow we’re getting married?” Ian asked as his fingers slowly found Mickey’s hand and stroked the top of it. 

The brunet sighed, “It’s hard to believe that we haven’t gotten married already. I feel like we have been married for a long time.”

Ian nodded and Mickey cast his gaze to the table as Ian said, “Yeah. I agree. But tomorrow, it’s gonna be real, Mick. We’re going to be married after tomorrow.”

A small grin crossed Mickey’s face and he brought his other hand on top of Ian’s, “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas for further chapters would be wonderful


	26. Mickey The Embalmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER FEATURES VERY EXPLICIT DESCRIPTIONS OF EMBALMING DEAD PEOPLE. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER FEATURES VERY EXPLICIT DESCRIPTIONS OF EMBALMING DEAD PEOPLE. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH.

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER FEATURES VERY EXPLICIT DESCRIPTIONS OF EMBALMING DEAD PEOPLE. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH.**

 

Mickey sat in his office checking out death certificates as Yevgeny sat on the floor playing on his father’s iPad.

“Buddy, I gotta go work on someone. You gotta stay here. I want you to behave while I am gone. Can you do that?” Mickey asked his four year old son.

Yevgeny looked up at his Dad and nodded at his dad, “Okay, daddy.”

Mickey patted the boy’s head and then headed to his embalming room.

Today his last ‘patient’ was a Ms. Katherine Suen. She was thirty and had died from a pulmonary embolism a day ago. She was fairly intact and her family wished for her to be embalmed.

Her face was framed by short brown hair and she didn’t smell as bad as some of his other corpses of the day. He had already filled out a detailed log of what she had been wearing and all the bruises that she had had prior to embalming, this helps to make sure that no law suits could be filed due to what had happened before she had been embalmed.

He suited up in his surgical gown, put his goggles on, a mask, a hair net, and then snapped on his gloves with a, “Let’s do this.”

Mickey had left the radio on from his earlier jobs and currently it was playing some classical music, it was almost like a drug when he listened to it, it calmed him and it made him feel like he could do his job.

The clothes had been taken off the body already, and towels had been laid across the woman’s lap and breasts.

His hands slowly started to almost methodically start massaging the rigor mortis out of the muscles, so that they were slightly easier to move, allowing him to get her into a good supine position. Then he took the disinfectant and poured it on the body, sterilizing the skin, and cleaning it of external bacteria. He used a sponge to then rub it downwards to the lower orifices of the body, sanitizing those as well. Mickey hummed as he cleaned the body, this was the easy part.

When he had finished sterilizing the body, he took a razor from his kit and slowly started removing the peach fuzz from the woman’s face. His telephone rang and it immediately answered and sent the message to speaker phone.

“Hello, Richardson Funeral Home. This is Mickey.”

A voice chuckled, “Hey hot stuff, what are you up to?”

Mickey smiled as he heard his husband’s voice over the speakerphone, “Oh you know.... The usual prepping of the dead body.”

Ian laughed, “Is Yevgeny in your office?”

“Yeah. You gonna come and get him?” Mickey asked as he finished removing the peach fuzz and he rubbed stay creme on the eye caps and slide them into place, closing the eyes as he went along and then grabbing a tiny container of super glue and gluing them shut so that they wouldn’t pop open.

“Yeah. I was planning on coming to get him now. Are you gonna be late tonight?”

“Yeah. I got a body that needs to be finished for a viewing tomorrow.” Mickey grabbed his mouth former and slid it into the woman’s mouth and then grabbed his suture kit and sutured the mouth shut. Applying stay creme to the lips to keep them moist.

He could practically hear Ian nod, “Alright. So, do you want me to bring you dinner?”

“Nah, babe. I’ll eat when I get home.” Mickey said as he went over to his embalming machine and started mixing his chemicals.

He was using his favorite, one with a lanolin base that provided some extra color for the tissues.

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

They said their ‘I love you’s’ and then they hung up.

Mickey used his scalpel to open the carotid artery and then inserted his cannula, that was connected to the embalming machine, into the artery. He then flipped on the switch to the embalming machine and started flushing the body, watching the body turn the pinkish color that he expected.

It wasn’t long until he pulled out the cannula and stitched up the jugular just as Ian poked his head in the door, “Hello.” Mickey said as he started massaging the dead woman’s feet.

“Hi.” Ian remained in the doorway. He was used to his husband’s job and it didn’t gross him out or anything, just he wanted to help Mickey maintain a sterile working field. “She’s starting to look good.”

Mickey started a cavity treatment, aspirating the organs, and then inserting cavity fluid into the organs.

Then came time for him to wash the hair of the woman and her body once more, he did this carefully as Ian went to go check on Yevgeny.

Finally, he took his makeup and started bringing her face back to life, giving her colors that made her look very alive and like she was simply sleeping deeply. He trimmed her fingernails and then plugged her up with an AV plug for safety against anal leakage during her funeral.

Then he transferred her to the clean gurney and dressed her in the red dress that her family wished for her to be buried in. He then put her in the freezer and went to go find Ian who was sitting in his office playing with Yevgeny.

“I’m ready to go home.”

Ian smiled and they all left the funeral home together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have any prompts? Send em in and I'll fill em :)


	27. He's Back

There was a creek.

Mickey knew that something was off, perhaps it was what could have potentially caused the creek that prevented him from being able to return to sleep.

He checked that Ian was next to him- he was right there sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened. Easy breaths going in and out of his body. 

Maybe it was Molly, he doubted it, but he grabbed the gun in the closet just to be safe, and a pack of bullets from the upper drawer of his dresser.

Yevgeny and Tori were fast asleep in their beds. It couldn’t have been them. He made his way from Tori’s room down to the other end of the hall and checked Molly’s bed. She was there.

He wiped his lip with his thumb nervously. There was definitely someone in the house. 

Mickey went down the stairs, checking the surrounding rooms as he walked towards the kitchen.

A shadow was cast on the wall. He raised the gun and put his finger on the safety, getting ready to take the safety off the gun at any moment. He heard a grumble, and he swallowed, turning the corner into the kitchen. 

“Hello, faggot son of mine.” The figure said as he turned to face Mickey. It was his worst nightmare come to life with light blue eyes and blonde hair. 

“So, you’re finally outta jail, huh- Terry?”

The older man got up from his seat, causing the gun to shake in Mickey’s hand.

“Nice house you got. Beautiful kids.” He examined the picture frame that he held in his hand. 

A frame with a photo of a smiling Mickey, Ian, Yevgeny, and Tori- their Christmas card from the previous year. 

“Don’t you fuckin’ dare.” Mickey warned.

“Would be a damn shame if something happened to their father- their daddy-”

Mickey fingered the safety, “Get out now or else I’ll shoot. You’re violating your parole, Terry.”

A glint of metal shone from Terry’s pocket, “How about I do a five for one deal? Five throats slit? Five blood pools?”

“IAN!” Mickey shouted as Terry ran at him-knife drawn.

Mickey’s hand had frozen, he couldn’t shoot. The knife had slipped into Mickey’s arm as Ian came running down the stairs.

“Fuck!” Mickey yelped. 

Ian lunged at Terry and brought him to the ground. 

Molly appeared at the telephone as she called the police. 

Mickey held onto his arm as blood seeped out of it.

Ian sat on top of Terry’s chest and punched him square in the face, “Don’t you fuckin’ hurt my family, you fuckin’ prick! Don’t you dare hurt my fuckin’ husband! Don’t you fuckin’ dare!”

The police  started announcing themselves with their sirens, getting closer and closer. 

Terry shoved Ian off his chest with all his might as Mickey collapsed on the ground. 

Terry opened the backdoor screaming that he would be back to kill them soon as he ran out of the house, he wasn’t going to let the cops get him. 

They could now see the lights flashing outside through their windows.

Ian took his sleep shirt off and tore it into a long strip, wrapping it around Mickey’s arm and tying it tightly to stop the bleeding. Mickey provided pressure until he passed out due to blood loss. 

 

 

 

 

He remained out cold until he was getting lifted into an ambulance. 

Mickey coughed and felt a hand on his arm, “Ian. Fuck. IAN!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. 

A hand squeezed his hand and Ian’s face appeared, “I’m right here, Mick. I’m right here.”

“T-t-terry’s going to c-come back.”

Ian shook his head abruptly, “No. He’s gone. I promise that he won’t come back. He’s dead, babe, he’s dead. He’s gone.”

“H-how?”

Ian squeezed his husband’s hand, “He ran, the police shot him. You’re gonna be fine. Molly’s with the kids. They woke up, but didn’t come downstairs. Mandy and Lip are coming over to watch them. He’s dead. Your dad’s dead. You’re okay.”

And with that Mickey passed out again. 


	28. Pranks from the Embalming Table

“DADDYYYYYYYY!” Viktoriya flung herself on top of Mickey in bed, landing on his side.

Mickey moaned and reluctantly opened his eyes, “What do you want baby?” He said as he helped her lie between Ian and him. 

Tori cuddled into his side, “It’s Saturday, Daddy! You said that we could decorate the house!” 

Mickey sighed and checked the clock, “Baby, it’s only six a.m.” He pressed a kiss in her hair and as she nuzzled her face into her father’s side. “And you gotta be quieter sweet pea, Daddy Ian is sleeping.”

“But you promised, Daddy.” Viktoriya’s eyes filled with tears.

Mickey sighed, “Alright, Tori. We’ll decorate once Daddy Ian is up and once your brother wakes up.”

Tori got up and stood on the bed and lept off it, “Then I’m going to go wake him up.”

“No. No, Tori. You can’t go wake him up. He’s sleepin’. Come back up here.” Mickey said as he patted the bed.

Tori climbed back onto the bed and sat on Mickey’s chest, “Can I see the dead people today?”

“No.” Mickey said sternly as he closed his eyes and pulled her close.

She stuck her thumb in her mouth, “But daddy, they live here too.”

Mickey brushed her red hair out of her face, “I know, bean. But they are scary.”

“Please, Daddy. I like the dead people.”

Mickey sighed, “No. Maybe when you’re older.”

“Daddy?”

Mickey stroked his daughter’s hair, the long red strands flowing through his fingers. Mickey had banned Ian from ever cutting it, it still had it’s baby softness and it smelled sweet, it was of the vibrant color that Ian had. But if it had been up to Ian, it would have been shorter, so that it wouldn’t tangle so easily, but Mickey would have flipped a shit if it was cut. The red hair fluttered down her back and Tori pressed a kiss to her dad’s forehead, “Daddy?”

“Yes, princess?” Mickey’s fingers ran through his hair. 

She nuzzled her face into Mickey’s side again, “Can you braid my hair, dada?”

Mickey nodded, “Sure, baby girl. Go get the brush.”

Tori nodded and jumped off the bed and ran off at lightening speed. She returned with a brush as Mickey sat up. She sat in his lap and Mickey pressed his nose into her hair, smelling Ian’s shampoo in her hair as he took the brush from her. He ran the brush through Viktoriya’s hair, gently removing the tangles from her hair. 

“You don’t pull my hair when you brush it like Daddy Ian.”

Mickey smiled as he raked his fingers through her hair and then took on side of her hair and separated it into three sections. He braided as Ian slowly started to wake up.

“Good morning.” Ian said his voice cracking as he woke up.

Mickey tied off the one braid with a black ribbon, “Good morning, Ian.” He started the other side as Ian sat up and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek. He then pressed a kiss into Tori’s hair with a, “Good morning, baby girl.”  
“Daddy,  Daddy Mickey is better at brushing my hair.” Viktoriya said as Mickey braided her hair.

Ian chuckled, “Is he really?”

Viktoriya nodded and Mickey chuckled as he tied off braid with another black ribbon.

“Daddy Ian, Daddy Mickey is going to help me decorate the house.” 

Mickey pressed a kiss to her head and then Tori went and cuddled with Ian.

Ian held her close, “Mick, I’m serious. We need to at least trim her hair.”

“No, Ian. Not gonna happen.”

Ian sighed and then pressed another kiss to his daughter’s head, “Why don’t you guys wake up Yev and I’ll make waffles while you guys start hanging up the decorations.”

The little girl squealed and leapt off the bed, running out of the room and into Yevgeny’s room. 

Ian turned to Mickey, “Please, just a tiny little bit. An inch maybe a little more.”

Mickey shook his head, “No. Not gonna happen.” He said as he cupped Ian’s face with his hands.

“Mickey, we’re going to have to cut it at some point.” Ian’s arms wrapped around his husband’s waist.

Mickey shook his head again, “Not for a long time.”

Ian sighed, dropping the subject, and ran his fingers through Mickey’s hair, “I love you.”

Mickey pulled Ian’s face closer and let their lips touch, slowly playing with each other and their tongues meeting and toying with each other until they heard their kids running towards the bedroom and so they pulled apart, enjoying the last few seconds of their intimacy. 

“Daddy!” Viktoriya squealed as she came running into the room, her brother trailing behind her. 

Yevgeny wiped the sleep out of his eyes, “G-g-good m-m-morning, D-dads.”

“Morning, Buddy.” Ian said as he smiled at his son.

They both climbed on the bed and Mickey pulled his son into his arms, kissing his son’s cheek, “Hi, kiddo.”

“Eww, d-d-dad!” 

Mickey scoffed and pressed another kiss to his son’s cheek and then one in his hair, “I’m allowed to kiss my son.”

Tori and her dads then tackled the boy kissing his cheeks and forehead as they tickled him. When they stopped, Ian said, “You gonna let us kiss you now?”

Yevgeny nodded and then hugged Ian tightly and then Mickey pressed one last kiss on Yevgeny’s head. 

Tori sat in Mickey’s lap playing with his fingers, “Can we go hang up the decorations now?”

“Sure, baby girl. Is Molly still sleepin’?” Tori and Yevgeny nodded and then Mickey picked up Tori and got out of bed, “Let’s go then.”

They all headed down the hall  and Ian went to the kitchen while Mickey took the kids down to the basement.

Mickey pulled the boxes of decorations out of the closet and they started hanging up cobwebs in the basement and then brought all the stuff up to their house and hung up the rest of the decorations.

 

 

 

 

On Halloween, they threw a huge party with their family.

The doorbell rang and Ian and the kids came running downstairs, “Daddy who’s that?” Tori asked as Ian started opening the door.

“I don’t know, sweetpea. Let’s see.” Ian opened the door and saw Lip and Mandy at the door, “Hey!” Ian said as he hugged Mandy and then hugged his brother.

“Uncle Lip! Uncle Lip!” Tori shouted as she flung herself into her uncle’s arm.

Lip picked her up and hugged her tightly, “Hi, Tori.”

Yevgeny shuffled his feet and Ian put his hand on his son’s back, “Say hi, bud.”

“H-hi.” Yev said,  he then ran and hid behind Ian’s legs.

“Hi little dude.” Lip said as he waved at Yevgeny. 

Mandy smiled as Lip put Tori on the ground, “So where’s my idiot brother?”

Ian picked Tori up, “He’s in the embalming room.”

Mandy nodded, “I’m gonna go see him.”

“Feel free.” Ian said as he and Lip took the kids upstairs to the house. 

Within five minutes they heard a shriek from the basement and Ian burst out laughing.

“D-d-d-daddy. We scared Aunt Mandy!” Yevgeny said as he jumped up and down laughing.

Ian smiled, “We did!”

Lip chuckled and sipped his beer, “What did you do?”

“Mickey went and lied on the embalming table under a sheet with skeleton makeup on.”

Lip laughed, “That’s genius.”

“That’s payback.” Ian said as Mandy and Mickey came trudging upstairs.


	29. First Well Baby Appointment

Ian pressed his face against Mickey’s chest trying to wake up his sleeping husband, “Babe, we gotta get up. It’s Monday and we have to take Yevgeny to his first well baby appointment. We gotta get him ready.”

Mickey groaned and rolled over and pressed a kiss to Ian’s forehead, “Good morning.”

“Mornin’, Mick.”

Mickey sat up and twisted his back, “He slept partially through the night.”

Ian nodded and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek, “Yes, he did. We fed him at three and then he slept through the night. I think that he’s still asleep.”

“That’s good. We’re getting somewhere with his sleep schedule.” Mickey said as he got out of bed and threw on one of his tank tops, then rubbing deodorant on and then taking a tube of gel from the dresser drawer. He carefully gelled his hair up and back from his face, and then left the room to go into the nursery. 

Yevgeny was awake and staring at the ceiling, getting ready to cry out for his father's. 

“Morin’ little man.” Mickey said as he flicked on the nursery light. Yevgeny started to sniffle, “No. No, Yevy. I’m comin’ little guy. I’m gonna get you.” Mickey went over to the crib and reached over the bars picking up the two week old baby. He cradled the little boy in the crook of his arm and found the pacifier in the crib and stuck it in his son’s mouth. “Let’s get you changed, buddy.” He rested his son on the changing table and carefully started changing him, making sure to clean him up really well. Yevgeny squirmed as Mickey finished attaching the stickies to the side of the diaper, “I’m almost done, buddy. Just a few more minutes.” He finally picked Yevgeny up and pressed him to his shoulder and went over to the pile of clothes that needed to go in the dresser. He picked out a striped longsleeve shirt, a pair of baby jeans, and socks.

Mickey spread a blanket out on the floor and then laid the kid on it and gently started pulling the clothes onto the kid. 

Ian came into the room and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s head just as he was pulling the little socks on the little baby feet. He sat next to Mickey on the ground and he pressed a kiss to Yevgeny’s forehead, “Mornin’ little man.”

Ian brought the baby up to his chest and him and Mickey went into the kitchen and made a bottle for the kiddo. Ian sat at the kitchen table holding Yevgeny in his arms as Mickey warmed the bottle. 

Mickey came over as he waited for the bottle to warm up and pressed a kiss to Ian’s head, “I love you.”

Ian smiled up at his partner, “I love you too.” Yevgeny started crying and Ian started to jostle him, “Buddy, Daddy’s warming your bottle up. Just a few more seconds.”   
The microwave beeped a few seconds later and Mickey grabbed the bottle, tested the warmth and then handed it to Ian. Then he went back to the kitchen to make breakfast. 

Yevgeny ate rather quickly and Ian stroked the baby’s hair as he ate, “Does that help Yevy? You’re so hungry.” Yevgeny started to drift off as he finished off the bottle. “Little bit of a milk coma, huh, buddy?”

The toaster dinged and Mickey pulled the toast out of the toaster and started spreading jelly on the bread, “So, what are we supposed to do at this appointment?”

“Well, he’ll be weighed and they will complete a full physical, and then there’s the hep-B shot.”

Mickey brought the toast to the table and sat down next to Ian, “Well, we’re going to have a little screaming baby then.”

“Hopefully it won’t be too bad.” Ian said as he brought the toast up to his mouth.

  
  
  


“So, how’s Yevgeny been doing?” Dr. John asked as she rested the one month old on the examination table.

Mickey sat down next to Ian and twiddled his thumbs, “He’s been well.”

The doctor nodded, “Is he eating well again?”

Ian nodded and held onto Mickey’s hand, “Yes, he’s doing a lot better with his eating. He’s eating at least 28 ounces of formula a day now.”

“Is he sleeping well?”

Mickey nodded, “Yes. He’s almost sleeping through the night. He wakes up once a night for a quick feeding, but then he’ll go right back to sleep.”

The doctor smiled at them, “That’s a really good thing. That means he’s on a schedule.” She checked the baby over, “Is he circumcised?” 

Mickey nodded, “Yes. He is.”

“Alright. I’m going to check that place too. Just to make sure everything is healing well.” She checked and then smiled, “He’s healed and it all looks good. He has a little bit of cradle cap. That’s fairly normal. However, what I suggest is to rub some olive oil on his scalp, leave it there for fifteen minutes and then brush his scalp with a soft brush to break up the flakes from the scalp and then wash his hair with a gentle shampoo. Don’t leave the oil on there though or it will cause the flakes to stick. I’ll write this all down in his post-appointment information for you.”

“Are we doing something wrong?” Mickey asked nervously.

The doctor shook her head, “No, no, no. It happens quite frequently, we don’t know what it’s caused by, but it’s relatively normal. However, if his scalp starts to bleed or look worse, call the office and we’ll try a cortisone cream. But for now, let’s weigh him, and then we’ll have to give him his second hepatitis B vaccine.”  She picked Yevgeny up and placed him on a scale, “He’s gained weight, he’s at six pounds and eleven ounces.”

Mickey smiled, “Really?”

“Yes. Keep up a nice feeding schedule and we should see a progressive weight gain.” She smiled at them and then she said goodbye and then handed them their after visit summary and left. 

Ian went over to the baby and dressed him in his pants once more, “He’s doing well, Mick. We’re going a good job.”

Mickey pressed a kiss to Ian’s cheek and then wrapped his arms around his husbands waist, “We are.”

“We gotta wait, ‘cause he’s got to get his shot.” Ian said as he picked up the baby and pressed his son to his shoulder.

Mickey pressed a kiss to his son’s head as a nurse came in with a tray.

“Is this Yevgeny Milkovich?”

Ian nodded, “Yes.”

“I’m here to give him his Hep-B vaccine.” She placed the tray on the examination table. “If you want to hold him that is okay.” She said as she gestured towards the chairs lined against the wall. 

Ian nodded and then sat down and Mickey stood next to him as the nurse prepped the needle. 

The nurse swabbed the skin and then quickly jabbed the needle into the baby’s arm. 

Yevgeny screamed as she pulled the needle out of his arm and then covered it with a bandaid.

“Thank you.” She said. 

She left the room and Ian pressed Yevgeny to his shoulder, “Sorry little guy. It’s alright. Your daddies have you. You’re alright. Shhhhh.” 

Mickey rubbed his son’s back and then offered a pacifier to his son who eagerly took it, “Shhh, buddy. You’re alright. Daddy and I are here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter! :)   
> If you guys have any ideas for a new chapter, I will happily add them to my list.


	30. The Baby Whisperer

**August 18th 2023**

  
  


Mickey was sleeping on the hospital bed in the room.

Ian came back from the bathroom and spooned his small husband, pressing a light kiss to the back of his neck and gazing at the bassinet next to the bed. As he smiled at the baby in the bassinet, Mickey woke. 

“Ian. What are you doing?”

Ian shook himself out of his thoughts, “I just wanted to hold you. You looked so peaceful.”

“Well, we’re not going to be getting much sleep again.” Mickey said with a laugh as he joined Ian in looking at the bassinet where little fingers curled and uncurled over and over again. His hand traveled to the little hand that was only the size of his palm.

A faint cry emitted from the baby’s mouth and Mickey got up from the bed and then went over to the bassinet, “Sh shhhh... Daddy’s here. Your daddies are here.” He picked the small bundle up from the bassinet and pressed a kiss to the child’s forehead, “Sweet Adam, Daddy’s got you. Your daddies have got you.” He brought the small bundle onto the bed and held him close. The small boy in his arms wiggled, “I’ve forgotten how small they are at this age.” Mickey said with a chuckle as Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist.

“Well, he’s even tinier than either Yevgeny or Tori, ‘cause he was so anxious to meet us.”

Mickey nodded as the tiny baby accepted Mickey’s finger in his mouth and began to suck on it, “He just almost seems unreal.”

“I know.” Ian said as he rested his chin on Mickey’s shoulder. “It’ll become more real when we have Yev and Tori back from Fi. Then it’ll be three kids to deal with, plus Molly. It’s going to be real then.”

Mickey ran his fingers over their son’s  soft brown hair, “He looks a bit like Mands.”

“Really?” Ian cocked his head to the side, “I thought that he looked a lot like you. He’s got your nose.” The baby suckled eagerly at his father’s finger as Ian’s hand ran over the soft hair, “Hi, sweet boy.”

Mickey held him close to his chest, “Our third fuckin’ kid, Ian. No more.”

Adam’s fingers wrapped around Ian’s index finger, “No more. I’m happy with just three and Molly.”

Mickey smiled, “Good.”

“Mandy’s getting some rest in the other room. She’s exhausted and Lip’s just wanting some alone time with her.”

The older man nodded, “Good for them. She’s worked hard, she deserves a well-deserved break.” Adam started to nod off in Mickey’s arms, “He’s falling asleep, E.”

“You’re the baby whisperer.” Ian said as he pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek.

  
  


Screaming came from across the room, Adam was awake.

“Mick. Mick. Mick!” Ian said as he rolled over and poked Mickey’s arm, “It’s your turn. I’ve gotten up five times already.” Mickey was unresponsive, “Mickey! Mikhailo Aleksander Milkovich! Get out of this bed right now and deal with Adam.”

Mickey groaned, “but I’m so fuckin’ tired.” 

“It’s your turn you piece of shit,” Ian said as he rolled back over. 

Mickey sighed and sat up, he then reached over to the side sleeper attached to the side of their bed, and got Adam out. Pressing Adam to his chest, he got up from the bed and took him into the kitchen. 

He was half asleep as he grabbed a bottle from the fridge, poured the breast milk into a microwave safe container and then put it in the microwave to heat it up. 

Adam whined as Mickey tried to jostle him to calm him down, “The food is almost ready, little guy.”

The microwave dinged and Mickey hurried to get the breast milk, he tested it against his wrist and then poured it into a bottle.

Adam took it fairly well and Mickey took him into the master bedroom. Ian had fallen back asleep and Mickey didn’t want to wake him so he sat in the rocking chair. He gently rocked himself and his son and held the bottle in place so that Adam was able to continue to suckle on the nipple.

“Yeah. Is that better?” Mickey whispered as he brushed his fingers through the little boy’s hair. “You feelin’ better sweet boy?” His fingers touched the baby’s soft cheek, “Yeah. You’re so hungry. Good thing daddy made you a bottle, huh?”

Adam started to nod off once more as he suckled away. Once he finished the bottle, Mickey rested him into the side bassinet and put a pacifier in his mouth. “Let’s get some rest little man.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea! New baby!


	31. He's Our Kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY, I AM ON A ROLL!!!! :D

**June 14th 2024**

 

“So. How’s Adam been doing?” Dr. John asked as she took the ten month old from Mickey.

Adam started sobbing immediately after beginning removed from his father’s arms.

“He still hasn’t been making eye contact, and he is not responsive to people other than me and Ian. He finally smiled for the first time last week. He’s starting to crawl.”

The doctor nodded, “First words yet?”

Ian nodded briskly, “His first word was solar system. I think he picked it up while I was reading a book to his sister.”

“Any daddy or dadda yet?”

Ian shook his head, “Not yet. Our other kids were saying dadda early, but this little guy just goes for the big words first.”

The doctor nodded, “Now I have mentioned this, and I think that we need to now take this route. I think that we might be looking at Aspergers. His oxygen was cut off when he was born, correct?”

“Yes. Only for a few seconds. What’s the possibility of him having Aspergers?” Ian asked nervously as the doctor started a routine physical. 

“Normally, I wouldn’t tell parents much...  but I do think that he he should be evaluated. Please realize though that this diagnosis doesn’t mean that you two did anything wrong. It also doesn’t mean that he’s broken if he is diagnosed.- he just does things a little differently than average. Some of the most incredible people to walk this planet had Aspergers. He’ll need more assistance with certain things if this is what we are dealing with, some extra support.”

Ian nodded, “When can we get him tested?”

 

Ian and Mickey sat in the office of the child-development doctor. 

Adam was playing with Mickey’s fingers as his father’s awaited the doctor. Yevgeny and Tori were with Molly at home doing some crafts that Mickey had set up for them.

Mickey stared at the painting on the wall- a child in a field with his mother and father.

“Adam Milkovich?” The doctor asked as he opened the door to the office. 

Ian and Mickey stood up and Mickey held on to his son tightly. They followed Dr. Stevens into his office. 

He was a tall, dark haired man and as he sat in his chair it creaked. The doctor gestured for them to sit down and they did so.

“Adam’s testing has come back and this little guy is very smart.”

Mickey smiled, “So he doesn’t have Aspergers?”

“No. He’s extremely intelligence. However, he does have Aspergers. This is what has been delaying some of his milestones, however if we get him into a occupational therapist we might be able to help him start making progress. He’s a very smart boy, though. He just needs a little help in some areas.”

“What can we do to help him?” Mickey asked as Adam put his father’s fingers into his mouth.

The doctor smiled, “I would get him on a fairly strict routine and try to get him to become comfortable around other people. You might need to slowly introduce that though, cause otherwise he might feel too overwhelmed. It’s good that we caught this early on, it helps us get to assisting him earlier. This is a good thing.”

Mickey nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of his son’s head, “He’ll be okay, right?”

“Yes. If he gets the right type of assistance, he’ll be okay.”

Ian held onto Mickey’s hand, “Just how did this happen though?”

“Most likely it was due to the fact that his oxygen was cut off when he was born.”

Ian and Mickey nodded. 

The doctor gave them a list of reputable occupational therapists and then Mickey and Ian left. 

Ian buckled Adam into the car seat in the back and then got into the passenger’s seat.

“At least now we have an explanation for him being behind on his milestones. That’s good. There’s something that we can do about it. We can help him.” Ian said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Mickey nodded, “And don’t forget that the kiddo is really smart too.”

Ian smiled and turned his head to look back at the ten month old in the back of the car, “He is.”

The chatted on their way home as Adam fell asleep in the back seat. Once they got home, Ian got Adam out of the car and then brought him into the house. 

They were surprised to find that Lip’s car was in the driveway, “Why’s Lip here?” Ian asked as they approached the front door.

Mickey opened the door and then they headed into the funeral home and then upstairs to their portion of the house. 

Lip was in their kitchen, “Hey.”

“Hi, why are you here?” Ian asked as he pressed the sleeping baby to his shoulder.

Lip pointed at a pan on the counter, “Mandy made too much dinner. So, I thought that I would bring some over for you guys. How’s the kiddo? Any results?”

Mickey nodded and took Adam from Ian’s arms, “Yeah. He does have Aspergers, like we thought.”

“Oh.” Lip said with a sigh.

Ian smiled, “He’s just going to need some extra assistance with some things, but since he was diagnosed young, we can help him. He also has a high intelligence quotient.”

“How could they test that at his age?” Lip asked.

Mickey put Adam in the baby swing, “They had him play with objects and do a few tasks.”

Lip nodded, “Sounds interesting.”

Mickey nodded, “That’s our kiddo.”

Lip left after a few minutes and Mickey put the food in the oven and then they started rounding up all the kids for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the whole testing process is written wrong, I'm really sorry. As someone who was diagnosed with an ASD at an older age, I don't exactly know how the testing process for babies works. 
> 
> Adam is named after a character from the movie Adam with Hugh Dancy in it. It's one of my favorite movies and I had this idea while watching the movie.


	32. Twice Mickey Went First and Once Ian Went First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came about through a previous chapter where Mickey is putting up a fight about cutting Tori's hair and also from yesterday when I went to get my haircut and this little girl was getting one of her first haircuts and she was sitting on her dad's lap, and it just made me think of Ian and Mickey and their kids. And then it just turned into this.........

**February 9th 2017**

 

Mickey balanced Yevgeny on his knee, “I don’t want to do this, Ian.”

Ian shook his head, “Mick, the kid’s hair is in his eyes, and his birthday is tomorrow. It’s been two years. It’s time.” Ian said as he pulled out the clippers from the drawer. 

Yevgeny squirmed, “Let go. Let go.” He kicked Mickey in the shins. 

Ian shook his head and chuckled, “No. No, buddy. Don’t kick your daddy. This will only take a minute and then you can watch TV.” 

“Ian, we should wait. He doesn’t want to stay still.” Mickey said as he started to let go of the little boy.

“Mickey. I swear to god, if you put that kid down, I will throw a fit.”

Mickey held onto the kid again and nodded, “Okay. Okay.”

Ian plugged the clippers into the wall socket and combed the little kids hair into sections, “Alright, buddy.” He turned the clippers on and then the kid shifted and rammed his head into Mickey’s chest as he screamed. 

“Ow! Jesus, kid!” Mickey said as the kid repeatedly slammed his head back.

“NO! NO! NO!” Yevgeny shouted at the top of his lungs. 

Ian sighed, “Buddy, it’ll just be a little bit. Daddy’s just gonna trim your hair a little.” Yevgeny shook his head, and Ian sighed again, “Want me to give daddy a haircut first?” Yevgeny nodded and Mickey sighed. “Daddy. Shirt off.” 

Mickey pulled his shirt off and Ian grabbed the clippers and started the process of cutting Mickey’s hair. Gently gliding the clippers up the back of Mickey’s head, cutting the hairs short.

“Does it hurt?” Yevgeny asked as he pointed to Mickey’s head.

“No, baby. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

Yevgeny shook his head, “No, it hurts.”

Ian shook his head, “No. It doesn’t hurt Daddy at all.”

The younger man set to work fading the back of his husband’s hair as their baby watched. After he finished with the back he ran his fingers through the back of Mickey’s hair, and Mickey nearly moaned, the feeling of his lover’s fingers on his scalp was simply delectable, but he couldn’t show any ounce of arousal. Not in front of his son. He knew that Ian was messing with him.

He flashed Ian a look that said, “don’t you fuckin’ dare” and Ian mouthed the words, “I’ll do a better job later.”

Mickey nodded and then Ian spoke, “Yevy. Want to feel the back of daddy’s hair? It feels cool.”

Yevy nodded and then petted the back of his dad’s hair, “sowt.”

Mickey smiled, “Yes, baby, soft.”

Ian finished up Mickey’s hair and then put the clippers aside for a moment, “Now it’s your turn.”

Yevgeny sat still in his father’s grasp as Ian carefully parted his son’s hair and then brought the clippers to his son’s nape, “It’s gonna tickle a little, but daddy needs you to stay as still as possible. If you do a good job, Daddy will give you a popsicle. Can you do that for daddy?”

The little boy nodded and squeezed his eyes shut as to attempt to hold his breath.

Mickey chuckled, “Buddy, you don’t have to hold your breath.”

Yevgeny breathed once more and then opened his eyes just before Ian brought the clippers to the base of his head.

Ian slowly rolled the clippers back from the small head removing a long tuft of his son’s hair as his son’s eyes filled with tears. However, Yevgeny remained still as Ian continued clipping his hair down to a much shorter length, gradually getting a little longer towards the top, and leaving the very top alone for later. 

It wasn’t long until Ian turned the clippers off, “We’re almost done, bud. Daddy promises.”

Mickey held onto his son’s little hand as Ian used shears to take quite a bit of length from the top of Yevgeny’s hair.

“We’re almost done.” Mickey said reassuring his son that he was almost allowed to be let free once more. 

The long curly hairs fell quickly as Ian worked on finishing up the top, and finally once he did, he cleaned up around the side of the boy’s ears and then used a comb to check everything. His hair was now a short crop on the sides with a longer top.

Ian wet his hands in the sink and then wet his son’s hair into a little fauxhawk, “Okay. You’re done.”

Mickey ran his hand over the back of his son’s hair, “You look good buddy. You look a little like daddy Ian.”

Ian knelt down and wiped the tears off his son’s face, “You did a good job, buddy. Want to go get your popsicle?”

Yevgeny nodded and sniffled and then hopped off Mickey’s lap and flung himself into Ian’s arms, “But I-I-I cried.” Yevgeny’s lower lip quivered and Ian picked the boy up into his arms, “That’s alright, it was scary, but you stayed still, just like daddy asked, so you did a good job.”

The little boy nuzzled into Ian’s neck and held on tightly to his daddy as Ian smiled at Mickey, “Can you start cleaning up while I go get him his popsicle and get him calmed down?”

Mickey nodded, “Sure.”

Ian left with the little kid in his arms and Mickey got up off the toilet and grabbed the trashcan from the corner of the bathroom. 

He picked up a little curl of Yevgeny’s hair  and held it in his palm, it curled perfectly in his hand. He couldn’t manage to put it in the trash, so he placed it aside on the counter and set to work cleaning up.

Once he was almost done cleaning, Ian came back into the bathroom and pulled him close, “Thank you for letting me do that. His hair was getting all tangled and he would always put up a fight about combing it.”

Mickey nodded, “I guess it was time.”

“I’m sorry, but he’s growing up.” Ian’s hands found themselves in Mickey’s short hair. Mickey’s gaze shifted to the little curl on the counter and Ian followed his gaze, “You want to keep it?”

Mickey hesitated and then nodded, “Is that stupid?”

“No. Not at all.” Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek, “I’m going to go get it a little baggie and then I’ll clean up your hair.” He ruffled his husband’s hair and then let his hands drift to Mickey’s neck. He stroked it ever so lovingly. “Daddy’s deserve to be pampered too.”

 

* * *

 

****

**May 29th 2023**

 

Ian appeared at the door of the embalming room, knowing that he would find his husband there.

“Mickey?”

Mickey appeared from behind a stack of embalming fluid that had just been delivered, “What’s up, E?”

Ian wringed his hands nervously, “We have a bit of a problem?”

Mickey raised his eyebrows, “Yeah?”

Ian cleared his throat a few times and very quietly said, “Tori....”

“I don’t know what you are trying to say, Ian. I can’t hear you.” Mickey was getting anxious, he felt like there was something really wrong.

Ian took a breath, “A few of Tori’s  classmates stuck gum in her hair. I can’t get it out.”

Mickey exhaled sharply and stared at the wall for a moment, “fuck. How the fuck did that happen, E?”

“Language, Mickey!” He took a breath, “They’re kids, Mick, it happens. The parents were apologetic, but we gotta get it out before it get’s worse.”

Mickey stepped out from behind the embalming fluid, “So, what are you  going to have to do?”

“More like we. Mick, we’ve put off cutting her hair for too long, and now we have to.”

“Can’t you just get it out?”

Ian shook his head reluctantly, “No. I’ve already tried everything, Mick. Ice, oil, vaseline, baking soda, hair mousse, toothpaste, alcohol, and you know we can’t use peanut butter because she’s allergic and I don’t want to risk a reaction.”

Mickey followed Ian upstairs to the kitchen where Viktoriya was sitting and crying.

“Hey, baby girl.” Mickey said as he and Ian reached the kitchen.

Tori stood up and went running to her daddy and hugged him tightly.

Mickey didn’t see the gum until his daughter was hugging him. 

The pieces of gum were bright pink and blue covered in different solutions and they were tangled in a large chunk of the lower half of her hair.

“Look at what they did, Daddy.” She said through sobs.

Mickey picked her up and held her close, “I’m sorry, princess. They’re so mean.” He stroked her hair, avoiding the parts with gum in it. 

Ian sighed and watched as his husband tried to calm their daughter down, “Tori, we’re going to have to cut it out.”

Just when Mickey thought that their daughter couldn’t get more upset, she did. Her eyes became wet almost instantaneously and his heart ached. 

Mickey picked up her chin with his finger and looked her in the eyes, “It’ll be alright. Daddies will fix it, or do you want Aunt Mandy to come and fix it?”

Tori shook her head, “NO!” She then looked down, “Daddies,” as she pouted. 

“Alright.” Ian said as Mickey put the little girl down. “Daddy and I are going to be right back okay. Daddy has to change out of his work clothes and I need to get my scissors.”

Viktoriya nodded nervously, “Can dada go first?” She rubbed her lower lip with her thumb, a habit from her father.

Mickey nodded, “I don’t see why not.” The little girl smiled through her tears and plopped herself down on one of the kitchen chairs as Mickey pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “We’ll be right back.”

Mickey followed Ian into the bedroom, the new place where Ian kept the shears, so that their children would be unable to reach them and get hurt by the sharp blades.

“So, once again we are in this position.” Ian said as he pulled Mickey close. “Daddy goes first. Remember that I’ll clean it up afterwards though. I’ll finish it tonight when we have some alone time.”

Mickey bit his lip, “Okay.” He inhaled, “Jesus, I feel bad for the kid. Why would those fuckin’ kids do that?”

“Mick, they’re kids. They’re mean. It happens. They were sorry.” Ian said as he reached for the box on the top shelf of their closet.

He pulled it down and Mickey pulled him closer, “You’re going to owe me you know.”

“I know.” Ian said as his fingers made their way up the back of Mickey’s neck.

Mickey sighed, “Her hair’s going to loose the curls and the softness, just like Yevy’s.” He sighed knowing it couldn’t be helped.

“Potentially the curls. The softness, unfortunately yes. Those baby ends can’t stay there forever, Mick. She’s  a growing girl.”

Mickey rolled his eyes, “Don’t remind me, firecrotch.”

“I’ll try to save a few for you. I know that it’s important to you.” Ian said as his hand stroked the back of Mickey’s neck.

“Thanks.”

Soon, Mickey was in his casual attire and he was in the kitchen on the stool that Ian used to cut Yevgeny’s hair and occasionally Mickey’s (when they weren’t having the full affair in the nude). 

Viktoriya sat on the floor in front of her fathers watching as Ian wet Mickey’s hair and then sectioned it off and started lightly trimming away the ends to what he considered to be Mickey’s regulation length.

“Does it hurt, dada?”

Mickey chuckled, “No, baby girl. Not at all.”

She watched as the little black strands came falling down and in a matter of minutes Ian stopped, “Alright, dada’s done. Your turn, Tori.” 

She shook her head a little and nervously looked at the floor.

Ian scooped her up in his arms, “Do you want to sit on Daddy’s lap?”

Tori nodded and he placed her right on Mickey’s thighs, Mickey held onto her as Ian fastened a little cape around her neck. Normally he would not use one and just invite his husband and his son to just go shirtless, but he thought it best to use a cape.

He used a little spray bottle to wet her hair and then watched as her red curls formed wet spirals. He got the scissors and then knelt in front of his daughter, “I need you to stay still, baby. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded and Ian got up and his partner shot him a look that seemed to say, ‘I’m not ready,” and then he shrugged and Ian mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.”

He brought the blades up to the top end of the highest piece of gum, “Ready?”

Tori nodded a little and Mickey winced as Ian took the piece between his fingers and snipped it off. 

The curl fell to the floor with a slight  _ thunk  _ and then Mickey breathed again as Ian continued cutting the pieces of gum out. 

When he reached the section that had remained untouched by the sticky mess, Ian picked up one of the spirals and pointed at it mouthing “this one” to Mickey, who nodded in return. 

He snipped off the long curl just below Viktoriya’s shoulder and then placed it on the counter and watched it curl.

He continued cutting her hair to an even length just below her shoulders and then took the cape of her and allowed her to go play in her room. 

Viktoriya joyfully got up off of Mickey’s lap and turned to walk away, but then wrapped herself around Mickey’s leg, “Don’t be sad, dadda.” 

Mickey nodded and ran his fingers through her short hair, which was still slightly curly to his joy.

“I’m not baby girl. You’re just getting so big.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then allowed the little girl to run off and play. 

Ian picked up the little curl and placed it in Mickey’s hands, “For you, dada. For being so brave.” Ian pressed a kiss to the top of Mickey’s head and Mickey chuckled.

“It wasn’t too bad.”

Ian shook his head, “Nope, and it’ll be a lot easier to deal with in the morning.” He then held onto Mickey’s hand, “She’s always going to be our little girl.”

 

* * *

  
  


**August 8th 2025**

 

Mickey ran his fingers through his hair, he was worried that he was going to start going grey soon. He was almost thirty one and not getting any younger. His partner still had his vibrant red hair that often changed styles, but Mickey’s remained the same throughout the years, with very rare changes. 

Ian bounced their almost two year old on his knee, quietly singing a random song that he had just composed in his head, “Adam. Adam. Adam Adam Adam. Adam. Ba bum bum bum. Adam. Adam. Adam Adam Adam. Adam. Ba bum bum bum.”

“Ian, can you stop.” Mickey asked as he covered his eyes with the palms of his hands.

Adam tried to get out of Ian’s grasp, but Ian held him close, “Adam, let’s sing a song.”

“Paleontologist.”

Mickey almost had to cover his ears, for he was hearing this song for the fifteenth time that day.

Ian nodded, “I love diggin’ in the dirt with just a pick and brush. Finding fossils is my aim, so I’m never in a rush. ‘Cause all the treasures that I seek are rare and ancient things like velociraptor’s jaw or Archaeopteryx's wing. Now all the kids, who wanna see em, are lining up at our museum.”

“We get it. You’re a paleontologist.” Mickey said as he stood up.

Adam perked up, “Da!” He raised his arms in the air and grabbed the air repeatedly.

Mickey scooped the kid up, “Hi, Adam.” 

Adam flapped his hands in the air and smiled a little as his greeting. 

Mickey pressed a kiss to his son’s head and then sighed, “When’s Mandy going to be ready?”

“When am I what?” Mandy said as she walked out of the back of the salon.

Ian got up and hugged her, “Hey, Mands.”

“Hi, guys.” She said as she hugged Ian. Mandy almost immediately then turned to Adam, “Hi, bud!”

Adam hid his face in Mickey’s shirt as Mandy rested her hand atop her swollen belly.

Ian pointed to her belly, “How’s the little gal doing?”

Mandy sighed and pushed her hair out of her face, “She’s kicking up a storm. Even more than Adam or even Tori, and damn she was a big time kicker.” Ian pointed to Adam and Mandy covered her mouth, “Oh, shi-shoot. I forgot. I’m sorry.”

Ian smiled and laughed, “It’s okay. We just try to keep it to a minimum.”   
Mandy smiled and then laughed, “Oh sorry. I guess that I should take you guys back.” They laughed and followed Mandy to the back of the salon, “I’ve been so forgetful recently. Lip’s been making me write everything down so I don’t forget to even like come to work. He’s been trying to convince me to stop working until I have her or even like permanently... I mean he has a stable job at the university and everything, but I don’t know.”

Ian chuckled, “Sounds like my brother. Did I read the right name about that huge paper that he just published that everyone’s freaking out about? Or was that someone else?”

“Nope. That was your brother, Philip Ronan Gallagher. Trust me, I heard him recite the thing over and over at night. I could probably get my PhD by simply reciting it, and I have no clue what any of it is actually about. I think one PhD is enough for our family.”

“Right. I forgot. Dr. Philip Ronan Gallagher.” Mickey said sarcastically. “I forgot that you are married to a doctor, not like I hear about it every time you come over, Mrs. Philip Gallagher”

Mandy slugged him in the ribs and laughed, “It’s a big deal. People take his work in Physics and Mathematics super seriously. He’s a big name. Especially because he’s southside. I think he’s doing one of those ED Talk things.”

“TED Talks.” Ian suggested. “And yeah, he’s doing one. I follow his twitter.”

Mandy smiled, “So, what can I do for my brother, his lover, and my nephew?”

Mickey hoisted Adam further up onto his hip, “This little guy needs a haircut.”

“I know.” Mandy said casting a small smile at her best friend.

Mickey raised one eyebrow, “You knew? We just decided today.”

“Ian called me a week ago.” She said it as if it was no sweat.

Mickey glared at Ian, “Really?”

Mandy laughed, “You two hid the fact that you were lovers from me for years while I was this one’s beard,” she pointed at Ian, “And so I think this is payback in spades.”

Ian shrugged, “Sorry, Mick.”

“We’re going to get you all handsome for your daddy’s birthday party, aren’t we?” Mandy asked Adam.

Adam clapped his hands over his ears and hid his face.

Mickey rubbed the kid’s back, “So, how are you going to do this exactly?”

“Mickey, I’ve dealt with this kind of stuff before. I’ll be fast and it’ll hopefully be rather painless.” She then turned to look at Ian and then back at Mickey and then back at Ian and pointed to the two of them, “Which one is sacrificing yourself to me?”

Mickey was just about to say something when Ian raised his hand and said, “me.”

He stood there aloof for a moment as Ian sat down in Mandy’s chair.

“Buddy. Let’s watch Daddy.” Ian suggested.

The kid’s gaze fell on his daddy as Mandy went to her drawer.

“As requested?”

Ian nodded, “As requested.” 

Mickey didn’t know what to think as Mandy swiftly put a neck paper around Ian’s neck. He felt like he should ask what was going on, but he couldn't find the words. 

Mandy took out her clippers, “This will not only show what’s going to happen, but it’ll also test if the noise will be a problem. If so, I have a quick fix for that.”

Ian smiled and Mandy’s fingers played with his hair for a few seconds and then whispered, “Mick’s gonna kill me.”

“No, he won’t.”

Mickey stood there dumbfounded at what was going on. He was in complete shock. 

Mandy “Ready?”

Ian smiled, “Yeah.”

She turned the clippers on, brought them up to the nape of his neck and start cropping his hair as close to the skin as the unbladed closed clippers would let her, not rolling with the side of his head as to leave a weight line for later.

Adam had begun to squeal and he clapped his hands over his ears shouting, “hurt! Hurt!”

Mandy continued clippering Ian’s hair down to the lowest setting on the back and sides and Adam was still shouting, “Hurt! Hurt!” As tears streamed down his face.

Ian shook his head as Mandy put the clippers down, “No, buddy. It doesn’t hurt. Pass him here, Mick.”

Mickey handed him over and tried to say something along the lines of ‘why’ but it didn’t come out.

Adam sat on Ian’s lap as Mandy waited until she could start again. 

Ian took his son’s chunky little hand and brushed it over the short hairs covering the back of his head.

Adam frowned, “Da hurt?”

“No. It doesn’t hurt.” Ian said as Mandy handed Ian a small set of spongy ear plugs, and Ian carefully put them into his son’s ears. 

Mickey then took Adam back and watched as Mandy brought her scissors and a comb over.

Mandy started to blend the weight line in with the shaved part.

Adam had stopped crying in his dad’s arms as Mandy worked on the top section of Ian’s hair, leaving about an inch at the top. 

Mickey watched reluctantly as the hair that he had pulled just a few hours ago left Ian’s scalp and fluttered to the ground. He was in shock. His husband’s undercut was no longer there. There was nothing left to pull on.

Mandy worked fast and finally grabbed her trimmers and started working on tapering up all the lines and making sure everything was nice and faded. She put her scissors down on her counter and then took the neck strip off Ian’s neck with an, “Alright, you’ve officially gone from your stripper days back to your military days”

Ian smiled. “It looks really great, Mands. Thank you.” He brushed his hand over his hair, remembering the feeling of when he had gotten his first high and tight at age seventeen. It made him feel young again.

“No problem. Anything for my brother’s husband. Now, do you think you’re lap would be best?”

Ian nodded and Mickey handed the kid over, “Alright, little man. Aunt Mandy’s gonna cut your hair.”

Adam tried to his hide his face in Ian’s cape but Ian got him to sit straight and Mandy took her clipper and attached the longest guard, “What are we going for?”

“The shortest we can manage that isn’t a buzzcut.”

“Did you guys bring an extra set of clothes?”

Ian nodded, he knew that the cape would frustrate his son, so they were just going to change him afterwards.

Mandy turned on the clippers and brought them to Adam’s head slowly and removed a section of hair, Adam screamed and tears streamed down his face. When he started slapping his head with his hands repeatedly, Mickey snapped out of his shock. He crouched down in front of his husband and son and held onto Adam’s little hands, “Come on, buddy. Be a big boy for daddy. I know you don’t like this. I’m sorry.”

Mandy worked quickly as the kid started screaming louder and kicking his father in the shins, screaming “Ouch! Ouch!” 

Mickey maintained his composure on the outside, but in the inside he was screaming and wanting to protect his son, “Buddy, it’s alright. Aunt Mandy is almost done. It doesn’t hurt baby, it’s just scary.”

Mandy finished with the clippers and then gave Adam a little break to calm down.

“That parts over. Good job, buddy.”

Adam whined as he tried to reach for Mickey.

“In a little bit, Buddy. Aunt Mandy’s gotta finish.”

Mandy used shears to finish off removing quite a bit of the length in the back and sides as Adam screamed and fussed. 

She trimmed the top so that it all managed to be short, still be able to loosely curl as normal, and not fall into the kid’s eyes. She worked as fast as she could as the kid screamed until Mickey thought he was gonna pass out.

Once she finished, Mickey took his son into his arms and pressed him against his shoulder and rubbed his back as the kid sobbed into his shoulder, “I got you, kiddo. You’re alright. That wasn’t too bad.” He grabbed the change of clothes and pointed to the restroom to tell Ian he was going to change the kid.

He took Adam into the bathroom and changed him quickly and soon, Adam stopped crying.

The little boy sniffled and rubbed his face into his daddy’s shoulder as Mickey folded up the dirty clothes and they left the restroom.

Mickey found Ian in Mandy’s area talking about their approach for next time, apparently, according to Mandy, she had seen worse. Mickey couldn’t think of anything worse than his son smacking his own head, but he let that idea pass.

Mickey removed the earplugs from his son’s ears and tossed them out in the bin near Mandy’s station, “We should get going. He’s exhausted.”

Ian nodded and hugged Mandy, “Thank you. I know that wasn’t easy, but thank you. How much do I owe you?”

“Really, Ian? I’m your sister-in-law. I do this for free. You’re family.” She said as she punched him in the arm.

Mickey nodded, “Thanks, sis.”

They said their goodbyes and agreed that they were all meeting up on the 10th for Mickey’s birthday and then they left. 

Ian buckled Adam into his carseat and put his pacifier in his mouth and then entered the passenger’s side.

Mickey stared at him for a moment, taking in the new hairstyle, and gulping, “why?”

“I wanted to show the kid that it isn’t scary. I also wanted a change. Sometimes I miss my regulation hair.”

Mickey nodded in response, “It doesn’t look half bad.”

“Come on. I look like I did that time that you got out of jail and you found me under the bleachers.”

Mickey grinned as he recalled the memory, “Yeah. You do, Army.” He pressed a kiss to Ian’s forehead and then they started the drive home.

 

That night Ian waited for Mickey to come to bed.

Mickey exited the bathroom and entered his side of the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest and reaching for his husband.

Ian looked at his husband, “I forgot to give you something.”

Mickey looked at him funny, “What?”

Ian reached into the bedside table drawer and pulled out a small box and presented it to Mickey, “I thought you might want it.”

Mickey opened the box and found a small bundle of Adam’s wavy hair, “I completely forgot.” He exhaled sharply, “It was so chaotic that I forgot, and I thought that I was too late when I realized that I had forgotten.” His finger touched the soft little bundle and his eyes watered a little, he sniffed and held his tears back, “Thank you.”

Ian smiled, “And now check under the cushion.”

Mickey lifted the cushion in the box and found a rather long small section of bright red hair under it.

“I can’t always keep my hair long, but this is a promise that I’ll keep it this red until it grays or falls out. I knew how disappointed you would be when I cut it, so Mandy saved a small piece. Use it for what you wish. Maybe one day you can clone me. I don’t care. Just remember that I love you.”   
Mickey went in for a kiss and Ian’s lips meshed with his perfectly as Mickey said, “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Locks of hair used to be a token of affection. Which I think is pretty damn cool. I love the idea really. People even made jewelry out of their loved ones hair. I thought that this would be an important thing for Mickey, to have a keep sake of his children and his husband. Since the man has never really had anything like that, I thought it was important that he did. We all have important things, Mickey should too.
> 
>  
> 
> The song Ian singings to Adam after the Adam song is 'I'm A Paleontologist' by They Might Be Giants.  
>  
> 
> I'm so proud of myself. I have written four chapters. Three for this story and one for my Hannigram fiction. So proud of myself.


	33. The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mama Milkovich makes an appearance

Ian couldn’t stop staring at the kid sitting in front of him, his eyes were an icy blue and his hair was jet black. 

He should have been paying attention in class, however he couldn’t keep his eyes off this guy, supposedly he was 16, but he had been held back and to the fourteen year old, he was extremely hot. 

Everyone knew of Mickey Milkovich, the teachers referred to him as “the knife-wielding punk”, but to Ian he was “that hot guy that sit’s in front of me in Biology class”, and Ian wanted him in front of him in a different way. He knew the Milkovich kid’s reputation, juvie multiple times, and he had beaten up several kids on the playground and in the streets since elementary school.

He had heard through the few friends that he had that the Milkovich kid might be gay, but no one was willing to test that theory. No one dared to do it, otherwise they would get an ass pummeling.

The class let out and Ian threw his bag over his shoulder and then left the classroom watching the black haired boy leave the room. 

School was over and Ian walked behind Mickey, several feet behind him, gaze directed at his ass. He wanted to do things to that ass. But soon he had to turn onto his block and leave his task of following Mickey, but he enjoyed the last few seconds, watching the boy walk away smoking his cigarette and kicking rocks as he walked along. 

When he got home, he flung himself on the bed upstairs and thought of that boy, he got nervous when he developed a hard on, he couldn’t be gay. Not in the southside. Kid’s like Mickey would eat him for dinner. 

Ian had known that he was gay for a long time, and he always wished that it was just a phase and that eventually, he would stop finding boys erotic. He just wanted to be a normal kid, and not increase his risk of getting beaten up on the streets. 

If anyone found out, it would equal destruction easily. He would probably be killed by people at school, if Frank didn’t kill him first. 

Ian ran his hands over his hair. Instead of fixating on the black haired boy, Ian should have been packing for his R.O.T.C. retreat, but he didn’t care. For now, he would get off to the thought of Mickey, wishing of the impossible, that  he was fucking him.

 

Mickey tossed his bag on the floor.

“Hey, Mick!” Iggy shouted. 

Mickey kicked the front door closed, “Fuck off.” He said giving Iggy the middle finger as he went into his bedroom.

He threw himself onto the bed and sighed. It had been a long day, and he had been getting hard since Biology class. It was all due to that stupid, carrot haired boy. He was embarrassed to say it, but he found the boy attractive. He knew that the kid practically followed him home everyday, but Mickey never thought of talking to him for fear of puking due to his nerves. 

The Gallagher boy was beautiful to Mickey, he had really changed over the summer. He had grown quite a bit, and he looked more buff. Sometimes, he would hide behind the bleachers, smoking a cigarette as he watched the boy run laps. Before the summer he would watch as the kid’s hair bounced as he ran. Red hairs getting illuminated at the crack of dawn, and then again in the evening when the boy hit the race track once more. He had almost been caught by the Gallagher kid a few times, but he never was caught. 

He felt himself getting hard at the thought of Ian running naked, cock bobbing up and down. He looked down at himself and sighed, normally he would fix this problem, but he didn’t want to.

Mickey had known that he was gay for a long time, it was never something that phased him personally, but he was very protective of himself, knowing that otherwise his father would beat the tar out of him, not like his father didn’t do it anyways.

He saw a flash of black hair pass the door and his mom appeared at the door, “Hi, honey.” Her face was bruised after a collision with the table the other night. “I’m going to leave for work soon, do you need anything.”

Mickey sat up and hid his erection with a pillow, he muttered a, “No, ma.”

“You know that that’s normal, right?” She pointed at him. “Is there a girl?”

Mickey’s face turned red, “No, ma.”   
Viktoriya sat on the edge of his bed, “If there is, wear a condom. It’s the smart thing to do. I can get you some if you need them.” Her hand cupped her son’s face and she smiled, “It’s normal.”

Mickey’s red face dropped as he thought for a moment about what would happen if she knew the truth. He was too scared to tell her, and maybe lose her.

 

“Mick, I’m telling you dude. The girl’s tits were amazing.” Lip said as he sat on the couch.

Mickey smiled and nodded, “Sounds nice. Did you hear about that queer that moved in a few blocks away?”

“Oh, you?”

Mickey hit Lip’s arm, “Shut the fuck  up.”

“Well, you are gay and you do live two blocks away.”

Mickey put his face in his hands, “How did you know?”

Lip chuckled, “I won’t tell anyone dude. I saw you getting fucked in the ass.”

Mickey’s face turned red and he brought his fist up to Lip’s face, “Don’t you dare tell anyone.”

Lip smiled, “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

Mickey sighed bringing his hand down, “Thanks. But what I like doesn’t make me a queer just ‘cause I sometimes like dick doesn’t mean that I’m a queer.”

“Just don’t go thinking that I’m gonna date you.”

Mickey laughed, “That won’t be a problem.”  _ ‘But maybe your brother’. _

 

Ian thought that he had heard the most wonderful thing in the world. Randomly, Lip had mentioned that Mickey was coming over. He had made Ian leave, but then he crept in through the bedroom window using a ladder, and that was when he heard it. Lip saying, “Well, you are gay,” and then later “I sometimes like dick.”

Ian heart seemed to nearly beat out of his chest as he flung himself on his bed and he stared at the ceiling. 

Mickey Milkovich was gay. This wasn’t just some impossible crush, this was possible.

 

It had happened. Mickey and Ian had fucked. 

As Ian left the Milkovich house, he felt like he was walking on air and high all at the same time.

He walked down the street with a slight spring in his step and a smile beamed from his face. He wanted to tell Lip. Ever since the Mandy incidence, Lip had hated Mickey and they were no longer friends. 

Ian found Lip in the car in the yard and he got into the passenger’s seat.

“Why are you so happy?” Lip asked. He puffed his cigarette.

Ian looked at the floor, “I had sex with Mickey.”

Lip nodded, “Alright. So, you had sex with my ex-bestfriend.”

Ian smiled at him and Lip smiled back at him.

 

Mickey sat on his mother’s bed, she was in the bathroom, and he was shaking. He needed to tell her. 

She returned from the bathroom with a towel around her waist drying her hair with a spare hand towel, “Mickey? Honey, is there something you need to talk about?” Her black eye was starting to heal, but the scratch on her face from two nights before was still there.

Mickey sighed and nodded, “Dad’s not going to be home for a while right?”

“No. He’s out.” His mother said as she sat next to her son on the bed. “Talk to me, Mickey Mouse.”

Mickey twiddled his thumbs for a second watching his lettered fingers, “I had sex, Ma.”

“Oh.” She put her hand on top of Mickey’s hand. 

“It wasn’t exactly my first time.”

She nodded, she had expected that this was the case, “Did you wear a condom?”

Mickey nodded, “Ma. I had sex with a guy.”

Viktoriya sat there for a moment and then enveloped her son in her arms and then cupped his chin with her palm, “Did he treat you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Mickey tried to hold the tears back, “No. It was... nice.” He rubbed his lip with his thumb.

“Good. You deserve that. What is he like?” She drew her son closer and pressed a kiss to the top of Mickey’s head.

Mickey had always let his mom kiss him on his cheeks and give him affection, because she was his top supporter and she was there for him.

“He’s really...."

“Gorgeous?”

Mickey nodded his black hair bouncing, “He has this crazy red hair, ma, and these green eyes....” He smiled to himself. 

“He sounds gorgeous. Can I meet him some time?” She asked as she finished drying her hair.

Mickey nodded, “Sure, ma. You would like him.”

“I bet I would.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Cries* mama Milkovich... Mickey calling her ma.... *cries*


	34. Mickey's Thirty One Years Young

Ian pulled on Mickey’s tie, “You look very sexy.” 

Mickey chuckled, “I feel old.”

“You’re only thirty one. That’s young.” Ian said as he pressed a kiss to his husband’s forehead. 

“I’m not thirty one until six thirty five.”

Ian smiled and held his hand, “You are my young thirty year old.” He pulled Mickey close by his tie.

The door was flung open and Adam came running in sobbing. His lip was busted open and bleeding.

“Da! Da! DA!” He screamed as he ran up to his dad.

“What happened, buddy?” Ian asked as he picked the boy up and brought him to his shoulder. 

“Fell.” His bloody lip trembled.

Ian rubbed his back, “alright, we are going to go clean that up.” He brought Adam to the bathroom and Mickey followed, “Mickey, can you take him? I’m going to get the first aid kit. I don’t think it’s gonna need stitches.”

Mickey took Adam from Ian, he sat the boy on his knee, “alright, buddy. You’re okay. Daddy’s going to fix your lip.”

Ian went to the medical cabinet in the kitchen as Mickey tried to coax the boy back into calmness. 

Adam cried as Mickey held him close and pressed a kiss to his head, “If you do a good job when Daddy patches you up, maybe Daddy will let you watch some Nova.”

Adam’s ears perked up and he sniffled, trying to maintain is emotions so that he could watch Nova. 

Ian and Mickey used one program of Nova as a reward for Adam when he had to do something very difficult. 

Ian returned to the bathroom with the medical kit in hand and put it on the corner, “Okay, little man. We’re going to fix that lip up.” He wet a piece of gauze and then started patting it against his son’s bloody lip, he checked the cut over once all the blood had been wiped away. “No stitches needed.” Ian said with a sigh of relief. 

Mickey picked up the boy and then brought him into the master bedroom, placing him on the bed and turning on the television and setting it to Nova. 

The boy was put in a trance by the show, which for that day was focusing on outer space, which was one of Adam’s obsessions. His dad sat next to him and pulled him into his arms. 

Adam allowed himself to be held by his dad, and they watched the program as Ian continued getting ready for Mickey’s birthday party. 

The program was thirty minutes long and once it was over, Mickey had to nearly tear the child away from the television, explaining that they had only agreed to one episode. 

Adam grew fussy and so Mickey carried him into the boys’ bedroom and placing him on the bed and started looking for the boys blanket and pacifier.

Ian had gone downstairs to greet family while Mickey dealt with Adam. 

Adam rocked back and forth and folded his ears, so Mickey went to the bedside table and pulled out a pair of earplugs that the boy could wear to lower the volume of what was going to be a slightly rowdy party. 

“Alright, kiddo. If you feel too stressed out, you come find, me or Daddy?” Mickey said as he helped the little boy put the earplugs in. 

Once the earplugs were secure and the boy felt comfortable, Mickey picked him up and carried him downstairs into the main part of their house. 

Everyone was sitting in the living room with beers and glasses of wine and they all looked at Mickey and Adam as they appeared in the room.

“Hi, buddy!” Lip said as he waved at the young boy in Mickey’s arms. 

Adam shoved his face into Mickey’s shoulder and Mickey smiled weakly, “He’s having a rough day. Busted his lip open.”

Lip nodded and then sipped on his beer as Mickey sat down and sat Adam on his lap.

The whole family was used to Adam’s habits and slight quirks and they adapted to them in order to make him feel comfortable. Whether that meant keeping the volume down or having someone other than Mickey or Ian take him to a safe place while they watched him. As Adam had gotten older though, he had begun to trust the other members of the family more. He was growing more and more close to Molly and also with Fiona, so whenever he needed to be watched, Ian and Mickey left that job to either one of them if they were available. 

When Fiona and Jimmy arrived with their daughter Sophie, Adam immediately leapt off of Mickey’s lap and went running towards her shouting, “Auntie Fi! Auntie Fi!” He pulled at the hem of her dress and Fiona picked him up, “Hi, Adam! How’s my little man doing?”

“Lip.” Adam said as he pointed towards the tear in his lip.

Fiona frowned, “How did that happen?”

“Fell.” Adam said as he was taken into Ian’s arms.

Ian held him and pressed him to his hip, “It was scary, but he did a good job while daddy fixed it.”

Adam nodded.

The party continued and at seven o’clock, the candles on the cake were blown out and finally the children were put to bed and the adults chatted along with Molly until midnight and then Ian and Mickey retired to the bedroom for sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any prompts that you guys have, I would be happy to fill them as I have run out of ideas. Thanks for reading as always! :)


	35. Pissing on First Base

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very short chapter about the peeing on the baseball field incident. 
> 
>  
> 
> Wrote this since the Cubs won last night!!! YEAH!!!!! GO CUBS!!! (my dad was literally screaming at the TV in excitement last night) WORLD SERIES TIME!!!! :D

Mickey grabbed the bat and went up to bat, he checked the stands, there was no one from his family there. But that damn Gallagher kid had a near cheering section. Two sisters and two brothers in the stand cheering him on. When he had gone to bat, they had all shouted at the tops of their lungs. But for Mickey, no one was cheering, in fact, his coach was yelling at him, telling him to not mess up or else he would cause them to lose.

The pitcher pitched the ball and then Mickey hit the ball with the bat and started running, but then the ball was caught mid-air and the game was over. 

The coach approached Mickey, “Milkovich. This is why you need to show up to practice, so you don't fuck up all the time.” 

Mickey sighed and then walked away from him, he walked to first base and then reached into his pants as the rest of the baseball team and their parents watched in horror. Suddenly, a stream of liquid came shooting out of the opened fly on his pants. He gave the middle finger to the coach and then zipped his pants back up.

As he passed the coach, the coach shouted, “Don’t you ever think of coming back here, kid. You’re off the team.”

“Thanks for the time fuckhead.” Is what Mickey said in response as he left the field. 

That redheaded Gallagher kid followed him, “Dude, that was amazing.”

“Thanks. Now, fuck off, I gotta get home.” He casually strolled away from the boy leaving him in the dust of the ballfield. 


	36. Adam's First Day of School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick chapter about how Mickey and Ian handle Adam going to school for the first time. IDK this is just shitty drabble for the most part.

Mickey woke up and started his daily routine, he got shower, he shaved, and then he got dressed for work before going into the kids’ rooms and waking them up for the day. His order was oldest to youngest. 

“Molly?” Mickey asked as he rested his hands on the doorframe.

Molly rolled over to not face Mickey, “I’m up.”

Mickey nodded and then went over to Yevgeny and Adam’s room, he sat on the edge of the Yevgeny’s bed, “Bud, you gotta wake up.”

The boy’s eyes opened and he moaned a little and then sat up.

Mickey left the bedroom and then headed into Tori’s room, she was already awake and her hair was sticking up like she had been electrocuted. 

After finishing helping Tori get out of bed, Mickey went back into the boy’s room and then sat on the edge of Adam’s bed and put his hand next to the boy’s shoulder, “buddy, you gotta wake up, sweet boy. We have to get going today.” The little boy opened his eyes and then rolled over to try to go back to bed. “No, no, buddy, you need to get up.” Adam whined and then Mickey ran his hand over the boy’s soft curls, “Come on. You have your first day of daycare.”

Adam shook his head and then tried to throw his pillow over his head, in an attempt to hide himself.

“Buddy, it’s just two hours. It’s half of a half day of daycare.” He picked the two year old up and balanced him on his hip holding him close.

The boy had no idea what his father was talking about and allowed him to help him out of bed. 

Mickey assisted the young boy with getting dressed and then carried him downstairs. 

Ian and Mickey were trying to introduce the idea of school early on, so that he would potentially start feeling more secure with being away from his parents. They were doing a few weeks where the young boy went to a daycare for two hours with other children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, so that he could learn to socialize with them and also get speech therapy while at school.

Mickey took the boy to the kitchen and sat him at the table, “What are you going to have for breakfast, Adam?”

“Cereal.”

Ian entered the kitchen and then started making coffee for them, “Morning, little man.” He kissed to top of his son’s head as all the other kids came rushing downstairs. 

“Daddy! Can we have pancakes?!” Viktoriya asked as she threw her bag on the floor. 

Mickey shook his head, “Not today, you have school. I will on the weekend though, princess.” 

The other kids got their breakfast as Molly came downstairs, “any calls yet?”

Mickey shook his head, “Nothing yet. I need you to take the hearse to get a oil change today.”

“When?”

Mickey put the bowl of cereal in front of Adam, “Nine. Gotta schedule things early, ‘cause you never know when a body’s gonna need to be picked up.’

Molly nodded and then grabbed a cup of coffee and an orange, “I’ll keep my phone on me in case you need a pick up.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be here all day for the most part, but at eleven I have to pick up Adam, so I won’t be here then, but I’ll be back after ten minutes or so.”

“Got it. Want me to go out to the grocery store?”

Mickey nodded, “That would be great. The list is on the fridge. Thanks, kiddo.”

Molly snagged the list and then grabbed the keys to the hearse and headed out. 

The kids and Mickey and Ian ate, they left the dishes in the sink and then Ian picked Adam up and ushered Tori and Yevgeny outside to catch the bus, pressing kisses to their heads as they headed out for school, “Love you two, have a good day at school and we’ll see you when you get home.” 

Mickey and Ian were finally alone with Adam, which was helpful as they were trying to prepare their youngest for his first day of school, and his first real day where he wasn’t with a parent or close family member for a few hours.

Eventually, it was time to leave and so Adam got carried by Ian out to the car as Mickey carried a bag with a bunch of the kid’s toys. 

“Alright, buddy, you’re going to go to school, like Tori and Yevy. But you're just going to go for a few hours and then daddy will pick you up.” Ian said as he got into the driver’s seat. 

They drove to the nursery school that specialized in Autism Spectrum Disorders in young children and helping them gain life skills. 

When they arrived, Ian got the kid out of the car and then Mickey got the bag and they headed into the nursery school. 

A teacher was standing at the front of the school and greeted them, “Hi, you must be the Milkovichs, I’m Clarice, and this must be Adam!” She said as she shook Mickey’s hand.

“Yes, I’m Mickey and this is my husband Ian.”

“So, nice to finally meet you two. I have heard lovely things about the both of you.”

Mickey smiled and blushed, “Oh that’s nice.” 

Ian bounced the kid on his hip and then pressed a kiss to the top of Adam’s head, “Alright, buddy. Time to go see Ms. Clarice.”

Clarice opened her arms and Ian tried to hand Adam over, however, it was hard as Adam started kicking and was grasping onto Ian’s shirt with a death grip. He started crying as Mickey rested the bag on the floor. 

Clarice was well versed in getting children to let go of their parents and by some miracle, Adam let go and continued kicking and crying in her arms.

“He’ll be okay. It’s not going to be an easy few weeks or months, but we’ll work on it.” Clarice said with a smile. 

Adam was taken into the back after Mickey and Ian pressed kisses to his head and then they left the school. 

Mickey wiped his eye with the back of his hand, “I don’t know if we’re doin’ the right thing, E.” 

They walked towards the car and then once they reached the car Ian replied, “It’s nothing we can prevent. It’s going to be hard. But we  have to do this. He needs to be in social situations. It might be hard, but in the long run, it’ll be a good thing.” They hugged for a while in the car and Mickey actually cried a little. “It’s two hours, and then we can pick him up. He’ll be okay. Maybe a stressed, but we need to do this for his sake.”

Mickey nodded and sniffled and then Ian started the car, “I love you, Ian.”

“I love you too, Mickey. And he’ll be fine.” Ian said with a smile.

 


	37. Milkovich Family Funeral Home and Crematorium

 

Mickey worked away in the basement, checking the ten bodies that were currently in the freezer. 

His telephone rang and he picked it up, “Hey, babe.”

Ian was on the other line, “I have a surprise. It came in the mail.”

“Holy shit.” Mickey said as he walked out of the freezer and headed into the embalming room, “I’ll be right up.”

He hurried upstairs and found Ian in the main hall of the funeral home holding a long cylindrical tube in his hand, “Open it! Open it!” His red hair bounced as he jumped up and down.

“Calm down, red. It’s just the sign.” He took the package from his rambunctious lover and popped the cap off, sliding out the poster with a deep breath.

Ian grabbed one of the ends and Mickey grabbed the other and then unraveled the poster. The large letters spelling out Milkovich Family Funeral Home and Crematorium.

“It’s official.” Ian nearly squealed as he let go and the poster rolled back up. He hugged Mickey tightly, “it’s officially your business.”

Mickey ran his fingers through Ian’s hair, “I’m glad that you're excited about this.”

Ian’s hands rested on the small of Mickey’s back, “I’m so happy that you’re doing well, baby. And now we have a home that’s totally ours and that we can keep for the kids later on.”

“That’s right.” Mickey said as his arm reached around Ian’s neck. “We have our own space. One that’s outside of the southside. Our kids go to good schools and their happy, and most of all I have you, my fuckin’ sexy husband.”

Mickey and Ian went outside with a ladder and changed the poster in their sign outside. One on each side of it of the board, revealing the new name of the mortuary and crematorium. 

 

That evening, their family came over. 

“So, the house is finally yours.” Fiona said as she helped Mickey wash the vegetables that he was peeling.

Mickey nodded, “Yep. It’s ours. I’m going to hire a few extra embalmers and a crematorium O.P. soon, just so that I don’t have the heavy workload, and so I can spend some more time with Adam, so that he can start even more occupational therapy.”

Fiona smiled, “That’s great.” She placed a carrot on the cutting board for Mickey to attack, “I’m so proud of you and Ian. You two have been doing so well. All the kids are making such great progress, and Ian’s doing so much better. He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him.”

Just that moment Ian walked in with Adam on his shoulders, Adam had his chunky arms wrapped around the top of Ian’s head.

“Hey, babe?”

Mickey turned around putting the knife down on the cutting board, “What’s up?”

“Lip and I just finished grillin’, so whenever you two are ready, dinner’s ready.” Ian said as Adam squeezed the top of Ian’s head.

“Daddy!” Adam shouted as he  reached his one arm to try to reach Mickey.

Mickey pressed a kiss to the boy’s palm, “Buddy, indoor voice, please.”

Ian lowered the boy to the floor and Adam ran over to Mickey and wrapped himself around his leg.

Mickey ran his fingers through the boy’s brown hair, “Hey, buddy.”

“Mick, I’ll finish the chopping, can you take him outside?”

His husband nodded and then pressed a kiss to Ian’s lips. He picked up the boy and they headed outside.

Ian started chopping up the vegetables as Fiona continued washing them.

Fiona sighed, “Mickey’s so good with him. You two are incredible.”

Ian chuckled, “We’re not incredible, we just try our best. There are times where things don’t go as planned and where we can’t get him comfortable, but we’re learning. And yeah, Mickey’s great, he’ll get up in the middle of the night when Adam gets his night terrors or when he gets scared.”

“I’m just so surprised at how much he has changed.” Fiona said as she started putting the cut up vegetables in a bowl.

Ian shook his head, “He hasn’t changed. He’s protective of the people he loves still. The way he manages it is different, but he’s not. It was his dad that was holding him back. His dad was terrible to him, and Mickey had to get used to being allowed to be emotional and shit. Now, he’s much more open, I wouldn’t say that he’s different though.”

Fiona nodded as Ian put the cutting board in the sink, “He’s doing great. You all are.”

Ian nodded, “Yep, we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that my posting has been so infrequent lately, I've had so much going on as it's almost Thanksgiving (huge workloads) and also because I was writing college apps (I got into college!! :) ). I've also been a little bit of a procrastinator due to my chronic fatigue... pushing through though. I do need some ideas for future chapters, because I've kinda run out of ideas, so if you have any I would really appreciate them. :)


	38. Daddy's Not Home

“Adam!” Mickey shouted as he rounded the corner trying to not trip on the carpet running, “Adam! You stop this right this moment! Daddy can’t keep chasing you like this.” He was panting as he ran after the little boy. The little boy sobbed as he ran and Mickey’s heart was sinking to his feet, “Adam! Daddy wants to help you. Come here.” Mickey knelt down on the floor and the boy ran into his arms, rubbing his face against the shoulder of his dad’s suit.

 

Mickey pulled the boy close and stroked the boy’s hair, “It’s alright, baby. Daddy’s gotcha. Daddy’s gotcha. Everythin’s gonna be alright.” Mickey picked up the boy as he stood up. The boy kicked his legs and cried into Mickey’s shoulder, “Adam, don’t kick Daddy, please.”

 

Adam stopped kicking and then sobbed into his Daddy’s shoulder.

 

Mickey pressed a kiss to the boy’s hair and jostled him a little in his arms, “Alright, shhh shhh shhh. You’re okay, buddy. You’re okay.”

 

“Want daddy!” The boy shouted as he rubbed his nose against Mickey’s suit.

 

Mickey smoothed the boy’s hair, “Daddy had to go out of town, Adam, you know that. Daddy’s book’s getting published and so he had to go out of town for a few days. He’ll be back soon.” He pressed a kiss in his son’s hair. 

 

The 5-year-old sniffled, “Promise?” He asked as he picked his wet face up from his dad’s jacket.

 

Mickey wiped the boy’s tears with his thumb, “Yes, baby. Daddy will be back in a few days.” He rubbed the boy’s back, “But I’m here, baby. Your other daddy’s here to take care of you.”

 

Adam nodded and pulled himself from his father’s arms.

 

It crushed Mickey’s heart, he was so upset that his son was upset and that he wanted to deal with the sadness on his own. Adam learning to not need his parents was at some point a wonderful thing, but at the same time it meant that Mickey and Ian’s little boy was growing up, and Mickey was starting to miss the days when he could just hold the little boy in his arms forever and he wouldn’t demand to be released. Luckily, that wasn’t completely gone, but he was still starting the grieving process for his youngest child.

 

“Why don’t we make a sign for Daddy? We can hang it on the door when he comes home. Does that sound like a good idea?”

 

Adam nodded and flapped his arms a little and Mickey took his hand and led him into the kitchen. He brought out the huge bins of markers and paper and they set to work on making a welcome home poster for Ian’s homecoming.

Several hours later, when Mickey was finishing cooking dinner, Adam finished the poster with Molly’s assistance. 

 

“Alright, time to clear the table. It’s dinner time.”

 

Adam and Molly started moving the bins of markers and art supplies to the playroom and then they set the table together. 

 

Setting the table was one of the things that Adam did as his routine, it kept him busy until dinnertime and he enjoyed it. 

 

Mickey handed the spoon for the pot over to Molly and then went to the base of the stairs, “Yev! Tori! Dinner time!” He shouted up the stairs.

 

Eager little footsteps came running down the stairs as Mickey returned to the kitchen and started filling the plates with food.

 

“We’re gonna call Daddy tonight.” 

 

After the food was on the table, Mickey put his iPad in the middle of the table and turned on FaceTime as Adam sat in his lap and as the rest of the children gather around him. 

 

“Hi, guys!” Ian said as his face appeared on the screen.

 

“DADDY!” Adam shouted as he waved at his dad.

 

Ian waved back and smiled, “It’s so nice to see you guys, I miss you all so much.” His eyes turned red and he tried to cover his eyes in order to not show his children that he was starting to cry. 

 

Mickey changed the subject, “How was your day, babe?” He was also starting to get teary eyed. He missed his partner, the night before he had been lonely in bed. He already missed Ian even though he had only been gone for two days. 

 

“It was good. I got to see the new edits and the cover. It’s looking really good.”

 

Mickey smiled, “That’s great, E.”

 

“How are you guys doing without me?”

“I don’t know how you do it, E.” Mickey said as Adam started to squirm. 

 

“I made a painting in class today, Daddy!” Tori announced. 

 

Her father smiled on the screen, “You’re gonna have to show me it when I get home, promise?”

 

Tori nodded and Molly scooped her up.

“And how’re you, Yevy.”

 

“Fine. I-I-I-I got a-a-a-an ‘A’ o-o-on my p-p-p-p-p-p-paper.”

 

Ian smiled and clapped his hands together, “Good job! See buddy I told you, you could do it.”

 

Yev smiled, “Come back soon, dad?”

 

“Day after tomorrow.”

 

Mickey smiled and they all said their goodbyes and then hung up and Mickey and the kids started their long night routine. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm like royally out of ideas for this story... so if you have any suggestions that would be lovely.
> 
> I'm so sorry for taking a slight hiatus..... things have been crazy busy and if you can see by my archive page, been writing many different fictions. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to post again rather soon. :)


	39. A Potential Divorce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maryellen590 (AO3): how abt Ian's book get good reviews and he's a #1 best seller and his agent believes he needs to move to new york or Los Angles and Mickey doesn't want to and Ian can't stay and he decides to leave and it could possibly end their marriage and its really really bad bc Ian wants to take take the two youngest with him and leave mickey with yev & molly They need to either resolve this issue or head to divorce court?? But ofc they don't divorce but you decide what happens to make it work for both of them bc ofc they love each other and their children and want to stay as a family

 

The email came in on a Saturday. Ian’s book on growing up in the South Side and being gay was currently the number one best seller list by The New York Times. It had been a shock when he had gone to bed one night after checking the number of books being sold worldwide and saw that his book was doing well, and then the next morning the book blew up, people were calling him asking him for interviews and trying to get him on talk shows, and it was kind of scary. But when the email came, it ruined things. 

 

Mickey sat at the kitchen table watching the kids run around outside in the backyard, he smiled to himself as the Nespresso machine made him another cup of coffee, he was feeling rather old that day, his back was hurting from carrying limp dead bodies and he was exhausted from running around taking care of the kids while Ian scheduled interviews. He felt a hand rest on his hip and his partner lean against his back. 

Ian craned his neck and kissed Mickey’s cheek, “Good morning, babe.” Ian said as he hugged Mickey from behind. 

 

“Good morning, E.” He said as he turned around and faced his partner, allowing the counter to push into his back, “How’s the book doing today?”

 

Ian smiled, “It’s going good, and I have some great news.”

 

Mickey rubbed his thumb against his lower lip, “What’s the good news?”

 

Ian’s hands slid over Mickey’s asscheeks, “I got an offer and we’re able to move.”

 

“What?!” Mickey said knocking the cup of coffee in the Nespresso machine over. 

 

“I know it’s great right? We can move.”

 

Mickey shook his head and broke away from Ian, “We can’t move, Ian. I have a business here. We have a business here. I can’t get up and leave like that. On top of that, I don’t want to leave, and I’m pretty damn sure the kids don’t want to.”

 

“Mick, I have to move.” Ian said as he cleaned up the counter from the spilled coffee.

 

“You don’t have to do anything.” Mickey said as his shaky hand reached into the cupboard to get another cup.

 

Ian scoffed, “Mickey, this is my fuckin’ career. I’ve worked so goddamn hard on that book, I’m not going to give it up now. Not for anything.”

 

“What about the kids, Ian!? We have children! Three to be exact and my little sister! We can’t just get up and move! Especially not my business!” He was angry, he hadn’t gotten this angry at Ian in a long long time. 

 

The fight continued on for weeks until one night, while the kids were at Fiona’s, they talked about it once more.

 

“Mickey, I’m moving, and you can either come with me or not. But I’m taking Tori and Adam with me no matter what you decide.” Ian said after they had sat in silence for a long time.

 

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?!” Mickey asked as he shoved his plate away, “You can’t do that, Ian! You’re not takin’ our kids away from me! I will take you to fuckin’ court if I have to, Ian.”

 

“I don’t want to break off our marriage, Mickey, but you don’t even think about the fact that I need to move!”

 

“Ian, I can’t move! I’ve worked my ass off to get here, to get this business. I can’t just give it up. I won’t give it up my family.”

 

They agreed together that couples counseling was the next step, and they went while the kids were at school so they wouldn’t find out about a potentially pending divorce.

 

“Now, Mickey, what are your concerns about moving?” The therapist asked, she sat there pen in her hand taking notes.

 

“I can’t move. I have a business here. One that I can’t get up and abandon.  But he wants to get up and move to fuckin’ New York, and I can’t move. He’s threatenin’ to take the kids.”

 

The therapist nodded, “What about you Ian, why do you want to move?”

 

“Work, but I hate Chicago.”

 

“Well, I didn’t know that what you cared about was Chicago?! What about our fuckin’ kids’ lives? They love their family here. We have the support of your family and my family. There’s a way around this, just you’re so fuckin’ pumped about your stupid fuckin’ book! What means more to you? Huh? Your family or that fuckin’ book?!”

 

“I don’t want to get divorced, but I have to move.”

 

Mickey shook his head, “You’re off your pills aren’t you? I found a stash of pills this morning and. Their yours aren’t they. You’re manic, Ian. I haven’t been around to make sure they’re taken because of the kids.” He buried his face in his hands. It all made sense, the pieces had come together and he felt like an asshole.

 

“Ian, have you been taking your meds?” The counselor asked.

 

Ian’s face flushed, “Shit. You’re right. I’m fuckin’ manic... I didn’t know it.” He swallowed, embarrassed, he had missed weeks of pills due to the damn book release. He ran his shaking fingers through his hair, “Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!” He got up and kicked the table between them and the counselor. “FUCK! HOW AM I SO FUCKIN’ DUMB?!”

 

Mickey found Ian’s hand, “Ian, you’re alright, we’ll figure this out.”

 

Ian pulled his hand away and opened the door to the room and headed out.

 

Mickey got up and went running after him, “Ian! Ian!”

 

Ian slowed down enough for Mickey to speed up and wrap his arms around him.

 

Ian tried to break out of Mickey’s arms, “You should fuckin’ hate me! I threatened to take away the kids! I’m turning into fuckin’ Monica!”

 

Mickey held onto him tight, hugging him tightly and letting his free hand cradle the back of Ian’s head, “It’s alright, we just gotta get you back on your pills. You’re alright, we’re okay. We just have to get you back on your pills.”

 

\--

A few weeks later they had figured out a solution and Ian was back on his meds. He no longer wanted to move, and he was traveling almost constantly, but he came home to Mickey and the kids. This was the last time he was ever going to forget his pills, especially after almost breaking up his marriage and breaking up his life. 

 

“So, Ian, what was your inspiration for this book? Why now?” Ellen asked him.

 

The lights on stage were bright, too bright and Ian had a headache, what he really wanted was to do was to be back in Chicago with his partner, “My inspiration came from my husband, my children, the rest of our family.  A lot of inspiration came from my husband and the times that we sat in bed and he told me some of the crazy.... Stuff... that I’ve done, I’m bipolar, and so I dedicated this book to him because he really does keep me grounded. He’s been there through everything. He was there when I came home from boot camp for the army illegally, and this girl got pregnant with his baby on bizarre terms, I won’t spoil the book, but I did eventually adopt that child, who is our oldest. It’s definitely not your typical path and I think that’s a huge inspiration, and just the fact that non-typical paths really can work out. I guess the answer to ‘why now’ is why not now.”

 

“You mention in your book that your husband runs a funeral home?”

 

Ian laughed and twiddled his thumbs for a moment, “Yeah. He does he’s actually probably watching this in his office right now, so uh---hi babe!” He waved at the camera for a moment, “But yeah. He’s back in Chicago with the kids and his little sister, who lives with us, and all the people in our funeral home.” 

 

“What do your kids think of both of your jobs? Do they know about your book?”

 

Ian nodded, “Yes. The youngest just knows ‘daddy wrote a book’ and he gets really upset that this book has caused me to have to go out of town, but the older two know and they are really supportive about me traveling and help their dad with their little brother, or at least they better be.” He laughed. “They all know what my husband, Mickey, does since his business is run out of our home and it would be hard for them not to know. The oldest, a boy, likes to tell people that ‘dad works with dead people’ which can be a problem, but it’s true so you can’t get too mad at him. Currently he has been telling us that he wants to take over the business when his father dies, which-” Ian laughs, “is just so like my husband.”

  
The interview concluded and Ian went back to a lonely hotel room, he missed his kids and his husband and would have given anything to be home with them.


	40. The Milkovich Family Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter that looks into the Milkovich families origins. Wrote this because I'm studying Russian history right now and was interested in it and thought it would be an interesting exercise. I think it worked pretty well, if something's wrong, I'm sorry. I did a lot of research but might have gotten things wrong.

Yevgeny had asked a simple question, “W-w-w-where does our f-f-f-f-family come from?” and he was met with a huge sigh until he continued, “I-I-I-I know where D-Dad's family comes from, but what about y-y-yours. W-w-w-what about your p-p-p-p-parents? W-w-w-what about m-m-m-mother?” He was sitting on the kitchen table attempting to assemble a family tree that his teacher had marked as inadequate, due to gaps in Mickey’s side of the family. The only people represented on that side of the family were Mickey and his siblings. 

 

“We’re Ukrainian, but when our family left the Ukraine, Ukraine had just become it's own country because it had separated from the Soviet Union that year.” Mickey said as he washed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. 

 

“I-I-I-I need more information than that. W-w-w-who’s my grandfather? W-w-w-what about my grandmother?” 

 

Mickey gulped, “My mom, your grandmother, is dead. She was born in the U.S.S.R. Are you writing this down, ‘cause I’m only going to go over this once and it’s complicated.” He started clearing the table.

 

“Y-y-yes, p-p-p-p-p-papa.” Yevgeny had recently made the change to calling Mickey ‘papa’ to avoid confusion amongst his peers when referring to one of his father's

 

“The U.S.S.R. stands for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and she was born in 1972 in Leningrad, which is now known as St. Petersburg which is in Russia, even though her mother was from Soviet Ukraine. She was born there since her father did work that required them to live in Leningrad, but she moved back to Soviet Ukraine when she was three, because her father died. My father, your grandfather, was born in 1968 in Soviet Ukraine in Kiev, he wasn’t drafted into the army, because he met my mother, got married, and then proceeded to live underground. In 1991 Soviet Ukraine, became the Ukraine and my parents managed to come over to the U.S. due to family members who supported them. My brother, your uncle, Joey, was born in the Soviet Ukraine in 1988 and then became a citizen over here when they moved to America, specifically Chicago. Then Iggy was born in 1991 after they had moved over to the U.S. so he was born a U.S. citizen. I was born here 1994, so I’m a U.S. citizen by birth and so are Mandy, Colin, and Molly.”

 

“W-w-w-why don’t you ever talk about your dad?”

 

Mickey swallowed yet again, “He was not a good man. My dad treated my mother terribly, and he served a lot of time in jail. He died when you were little when cops shot him,” Mickey didn’t want to say that Yevgeny had only been a few feet away from the scene and that Terry had died on their yard, he especially didn’t want to go into the details of why Terry was terrible. 

 

“W-w-were they Catholic?”

 

“Why would you ask that?”

 

“I-I don’t know.” Yevgeny said as he carefully wrote down the places of birth for Terry and Viktoriya.

 

“My dad wasn’t religious, but my mother was Russian Orthodox. However, due to my father we didn’t grow up around Russian Orthodoxy. My father still held his Soviet views on religion, which means that he didn’t believe in god.” Mickey said as he closed the dishwasher.

 

“S-s-s-so I’m U-Ukrainian and R-R-Russian?”

 

“No, you’re American, just like me and dad. But your family on my side comes from the Ukraine.” He smoothed his son’s hair. “Your mother is from Russia, specifically a town called Chelyabinsk. She moved to America illegally, which is why she is back in Russia, she left when you were a baby-”

 

Yevgeny cut him off, “I-I-I-I know, dad. W-w-what about her family?”

 

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about her family.” Mickey said as he pressed a kiss to the top of his son’s head. “I’m sorry.”

 

Yevgeny nodded, “I-I-I-I think that s-s-so long as I mention her I-I-I’ll be fine. T-thanks papa.”

 

Mickey smiled and ruffled his son’s hair, “No problem, kiddo.” He pressed another kiss to his son’s head as Yevgeny finished the family tree. 

 

“D-dad?”

 

“Yeah, son?”

 

“H-have you been to R-R-Russia or U-Ukraine?”

 

Mickey shook his head a little, “No, I don’t think I would want to anyways, it isn’t a trip I want to take.” 

 

“Okay.”  The boy got up from the table and then started heading upstairs to his bedroom as Ian opened the backdoor with Tori dangling from his arm.

 

“Did he ask you?”

 

“Yeah. He did, I answered him with appropriate answers, don’t worry.”

 

Ian kissed the top of Mickey’s head, “Good job.” Tori let go of her father’s arm and then ran to her bedroom.

 

“I miss my mom.”

 

“I know you do.” Ian pulled him into a hug, “I wish that I had known her.”

 

“I wish that you met her.”

 


	41. Rock and Skull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some stuff happens to Adam. Warning for the after effects of bullying.

“Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!” Mickey said as he ran down a white hallway, his eyes were red, he was tired and he was scared. He was fucking scared and he would be happy to admit it. He skidded past a reception desk and then walked back, “I need- I need- I need to get back there! My kid’s back there! My son is back there!” 

 

“Sir, please calm down. What’s your son’s name?” The receptionist asked as she rested her hands on her keyboard, ready to start typing in the information.

 

“I-I need to get back there! He’s all alone!” Mickey said as he slammed his hands on the desk. 

 

The woman nodded, “I just need his name, sir.”

 

“Adam Milkovich! Please, I need to get back there!”

 

The nurse handed him a badge saying ‘bay 8’ and he grabbed it and she opened the door and let him through.

 

Mickey went running through the E.R., nearly crashing into beds in the hallway, hair flopping in his tear stained face, he found bay 8 and started pounding on the locked door until a nurse pressed his hand on his back, “Sir?”

 

“My kid’s in there! I need to get in there!”

 

The nurse pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door and Mickey went in. 

 

A nurse was sitting beside Adam, holding his tiny hand.

 

Mickey couldn’t see his son’s face and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He knew that he needed to be strong for his son, he couldn’t show his son how scared he was.

 

The nurse nodded in his direction, her red ponytail bobbing as she did, “He’s sleeping. The doctors had to give him a sedative. He’s badly bruised, but the doctor will come in and give you the rest of the information. The police have been called as well, and they are on their way to speak to you about this.”

 

Mickey nodded wiping his eyes again, “Is he going to be okay?”

 

The nurse nodded, “I can’t tell you that I’m afraid.”

 

Mickey took the nurses’ seat and held his son’s hand, it was cold. 

 

There was a tube coming out of Adam’s mouth and it nearly killed Mickey seeing his son like that, “Daddy’s gonna be here soon, buddy.”

 

The door opened and a doctor stepped in he introduced himself as Dr. Pollack, “He received several blows to the head with an unknown object. He’s lucky that even though there’s fracturing, there’s no hemorrhaging currently. But I want to keep him in the I.C.U. for observation, especially since we had to use a sedative. His skull will repair itself, but it’s going to take time. I had to staple the lacerations shut, however and he’ll need to be on pain medication for a while. But, so long as I don’t see cerebrospinal fluid or blood build up, he won’t need surgery.” 

 

“Will he be alright?” Mickey asked wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

 

“Tonight will give us the answers. But for now, he’s in a clear patch.”

 

The doctor said goodbye and left and then Ian came in, “Shit!” He said as he stepped back seeing his son laid out on the bed with tubes coming out of him. 

 

Mickey sniffed and held back tears, it was obvious that he had cried a little, and Ian stumbled to the free chair and held onto the six year old’s tiny hand.

 

“The doctor said he’s gonna have to go up to I.C.U. for overnight observation due to the sedative and the risk for bleeding.” 

 

Ian sniffled as a nurse came in with a cop.

 

“Mr. and Mr. Milkovich?”

 

Mickey and Ian looked up and nodded.

 

“I’m so sorry about your son.” The cop seemed genuinely upset about the situation. “But I have some insight and some questions.” Mickey gestured towards the chair next to Ian’s and the cop sat down. “I want you to know that the boy’s who did this are now in custody. I’m afraid that due to the age gap between them and your son, and what they did, we have to press charges. Now, tell me about him, your son, Adam.”

 

Mickey sniffled, “He’s a good kid.” Ian nodded in agreement, “He’s had it rough since he started kindergarten. We had tried to get him into a private school so that he could get more help since he has Aspergers, but he didn’t get in, and now here we are.”

 

The cop nodded glumly, “I’m so sorry about that. Now, had you heard about any bullying going on?”

 

“We hear about it all the time, but the school says it’s normal and that we can’t do anything. We never thought that it would get this bad.” Ian said as he squeezed the boy’s hand. 

 

Mickey took his husband’s other hand, “Our other son has also been bullied, but never this bad. I don’t understand why this would happen to Adam, he’s such a good kid.”

 

The cop nodded, “From what his teachers have said, I agree, and it’s terrible that he is in this state due to something completely preventable. Now, I need you two to meet with the parents of the two young men in order to come up with some kind of arrangement for them to pay your son’s medical bills and for any emotional therapy he might need.”

 

“What about the boys?” Mickey asked his face contorting into a face that gave off slight anger, “They can not be let off on this. I won’t allow it.”

“Mr. Milkovich, I wish that I could tell you that they were going away for a long time, but I just don’t know.”

 

“They could have killed our son!” Mickey shouted, “They could have killed him! Does that mean nothing to you?!”

 

Ian patted Mickey’s back, “Mickey, he’s trying to help us.” 

 

“I’m not going to let them not go to juvie, Ian! They hurt our kid! Shit! When I did that shit I was sent to Juvie, so fuckin’ fast!”

 

Ian rubbed Mickey’s back, “We’ll figure it out, babe. They’re not going to get away with this.”

 

The cop nodded, “They are definitely not going to get away with this. From what we can tell it was planned.” The cop nodded glumly. 

 

Mickey pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, “I can’t believe this shit! He’s fuckin’ six years old and his skull is fractured!”

 

“Mr. Milkovich, I understand that you are upset, but I need you to calm down a little so that you can go speak to the parents of the boys.”

 

They gave Mickey some time to just sit with Adam and hold his hand until they were lead into a small conference room.

 

Two sets of straight parents sat across from them, Mickey and Ian’s lawyer was there, along with the other couples’ lawyers. 

 

They all introduced themselves and then Mickey started, “I want to go to court. I can assure you that my husband and I will be taking your sons to court.” The parents nodded, they knew what their sons had done. 

 

“Our son is in the E.R. about to be moved into the intensive care unit because of your kids! Because your kids thought that they could hurt a small child who trusts too many people, because he doesn’t know better! Our son, who has worked so hard to function in a public school, has a fractured skull, and we’re waiting to see if he’ll hemorrhage, ‘cause if it does, he might die! My kid might die because of your shitty sons!” Mickey shouted, Ian held his hand and Mickey calmed down, “Now, I’ve been down both your sons’ path before, and it ends in jail, and you don’t want your kid going to jail. So now’s the time that you fix things, now’s the time to teach them they can’t do this, otherwise it’ll continue and they’ll be in jail as soon as they are eighteen. I speak from personal experience.”

The parents gulped and Mickey knew that his message had hit home.

 

Adam spent the night in the I.C.U. and he didn’t manage to hemorrhage so the doctor’s allowed the sedative to wear off and soon he was awake and crying in his fathers’ arms and watching television with them. It would be a long process to make sure that the kid’s skull healed, but it was a better outcome than they had expected.

 

A month later, Mickey and Ian testified in court and the two boy’s were sentenced to two years in juvie for aggravated battery. Adam’s medical bills were paid in full, along with the bills for his therapy, and some strings had been pulled with the private school in order to get Adam placed in their kindergarten so that he would have an easier time with school. 

 

Three months later and Adam’s head was nearly completely healed and he was loving school. He had some friends at his new private school and he had even taken up art classes, something that Mickey and Ian were very excited about.  They were also excited to see the continuing progress that their son was making every day, knowing fully well that he was learning the skills necessary to live on his own one day. They were taking life one day at a time for they knew that one day he was going to be out on his own and wouldn’t need as much of his fathers’ help, it was going to be a hard day, but it was coming fast. 

  
  



	42. The Development of Papa

Fiona bounced Adam on her knee as Mickey finished cooking mac and cheese on the stove, “So, how’s everyone doing?” Fiona asked Mickey as she tried to steer Adam’s attention to a coloring mat on the table, “Color here, buddy.”

 

“Things are good. Yevgeny’s been getting a lot of speech therapy lately ‘cause he wants to get rid of his stutter, which is good for him as he’s making that decision personally, and Ian and I fully support that.” Mickey said as he turned the stove off and then poured the mac and cheese into a strainer.

 

“Oh, so he’s working on getting rid of it?” Fiona asked as she watched Adam coloring to make sure that he didn’t use marker on the table. 

 

“He’s probably going to have it for the rest of his life, but the speech therapist is helping him reduce it. He just wants it to go away to a certain extent. He’s been getting bullied for it, so he wants to work on covering it up a bit. It’s even worse around his classmates, so considering how difficult it can be for him here, there’s a significant difference, and he’s just not comfortable with it. So he asked to see a speech therapist more regularly and we’re letting him do so, if he wanted to stop, we would let him. We don’t mind it.” Mickey said as he poured the noodles into a bowl and then went to work on making the cheese. 

 

Fiona nodded, “That makes sense. It’s good that you both are supporting it.” Fiona said as Adam tried to reach for Mickey, “Daddy’s making you food, little man. You gotta wait a little bit.” Fiona smoothed the boy’s hair. 

 

Mickey put the bowl in front of his son and then wrapped the kid’s fingers around a spoon, “Eat up, buddy.” He ran his hand over Adam’s hair and pressed a kiss to the top of Adam’s head. 

 

Adam nodded as Mickey sat down.

 

“He’s doing so much better, Mickey.” 

 

Mickey nodded, “It’s been hard work, but starting early is the most important thing so that he starts learning how to deal with it. He’s going to have to deal with it for the rest of his life, and starting early prevents him from struggling later, so Ian and I have made it a priority. It’s going to be hard though, sending him to kindergarten and all. Just having him gone for two hours is really hard on him, so we’re going to really have to ease him in and who knows what type of issues we’ll have to deal with when he is in the school system. Ian and I have already started looking at schools that will be able to cater more specifically to him without being a special needs school as we don’t feel like he needs that.”

 

“So private?” Fiona asked as Adam spooned mac and cheese into his mouth. 

 

“Yeah. There’s a school in the area that has small class sizes and that could cater to his needs. It’s just a matter of getting him in though, which is a process that takes some time.”

 

“Done, Pa!” Adam said as he dropped his spoon into the bowl and reached his arms out. He had started following his older brother in calling Mickey ‘papa’ as had Tori, mostly because people got their fathers confused when they used one word to describe both.

 

Mickey took him from Fiona and put him on his lap and then started cleaning the boy’s face with a wet wipe from the middle of the table, “You, my friend, are a messy eater.” Adam curled up in Mickey’s lap and pressed his cheek to Mickey’s chest and closed his eyes, “Are you gonna take a nap, buddy?” He nodded. “Alright, Adam.” He stroked the boy’s hair as he drifted off on his chest. 

 

“He’s so good.”

 

“He is when he wants to be.” Mickey said as he stroked his son’s hair and watched as the boy put his thumb in his mouth. “He’s a good boy.”

 

“So he calls you ‘pa’ now?” Fiona asked as Mickey rubs the small child’s back.

 

Mickey nodded, “Yeah. Yevy started it because his friends were getting confused about both me and Ian being dad and so he switched it and the other two caught on, so now it’s papa.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Adam’s head. 

 

Adam’s little hands clutched Mickey’s dress shirt and Mickey smiled down at his son, “They’re good kids. Ian’s been great with them. He really is incredible, I’m lucky to have him.” 

 

Fiona smiled, “He’s a good man. You both have been doing so well, it really is incredible. I mean you have a lovely house and a thriving business and you both are happy. That sounds like the ideal situation.”

 

Mickey nodded as his fingers carded through his son’s hair, “It is an ideal situation. We’re both very happy.”

 

“But are you two ever going to take a vacation, you know get some time for yourselves?”

 

Mickey laughed as Adam buried his face in Mickey’s shirt, “Probably not. It’s hard with the kids, especially with Adam as he isn’t able to trust people easily, so leaving him with a sitter would not be ideal.”

 

Fiona shook her head, “You don’t need a sitter.” She smiled and rested her hand over Mickey’s, “you know that I would watch the kids. I would be happy to. You two really need to take some time for yourselves or else you’re gonna get burnt out,” She sighed, “Tell you what. Valentine’s day is coming up and a new bed and breakfast opened about an hour and a half away. Why don’t you and Ian take the weekend off and I’ll watch the kids. I don’t have anyone else to spend it with as Jimmy’s travelling and we’re celebrating early. Adam trusts me enough, I think that it would be good for you and for Ian, a little one on one husband time.” She smiled. 

 

“That would be really nice. Thank you.” Mickey said as he cracked a small smile. 

  
“No problem. I love your kids. Now, why don’t you tell me where your computer is and we’ll start planning.” She smiled and laughed a little as Mickey’s smiled grew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the updates have been slow... things have been crazy with the holidays. I was also recently diagnosed with narcolepsy, hence my horrendous need to sleep a lot, especially after the holidays, and so I've started medication and can finally get back on track once more hopefully. :)


	43. Valentines Day Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Widely requested Valentines Day Trip. This chapter is a little bland and dumb... sorry about that... I've been super super super busy. 
> 
> There's sex in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's sex in this chapter.

“You packed the booze and the kit right?” Mickey asked a he folded their laundry and sorted it into piles based on the family member.  
Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist and kissed the base of his neck, before pressing a kiss to the back of Mickey’s head, “Yes, I put four bottles of beer in my bag and the kits been waiting in there for several days, babe.” His hands slid to Mickey’s butt, cupping the cheeks, “A weekend alone, just the two of us.” He moved his hands to Mickey’s thighs and then pressed his body up against Mickey, “It’s been so long since it was just the two of us for a weekend.” He thought about it for a moment, “Yevy was not even alive last time. Shit, that was thirteen years ago. I feel really old.”  
“Fuck off, Milkovich. You’re only thirty one.” Mickey pointed out with a laugh, “You’re young compared to most thirteen year old’s parents. And you’re still super fuckin’ sexy, and you still look like you did at eighteen, I should know.” He placed his and Ian’s clothes into their suitcase as Ian proceeded to massaged Mickey’s thighs.  
“Damn right, you think that I spend all that time in the gym for fun?” He laughed.  
“Well, it certainly pays off, cause you’re super fuckin-” Mickey was interrupted by the pitter patter of feet running towards them.  
“Daddyyyyyyyy” Adam came running into the room, he was always extremely wobbly when he ran as he had developed a tandem gait due to poor balance.  
Yevgeny came running behind him and Ian turned to the boy’s, “What’s up, bud?” He lifted the smaller boy up and sat him on his hip.  
“Aunt Fi’s here.” Yev announced as he jumped onto the master bed, causing the clothes to bounce in the air, luckily not unfolding.  
Mickey looked at the boy sternly, “Yev, I just folded those clothes. You gotta be more careful, please.”  
“Mick, I’m gonna go downstairs, that cool with you?” Ian asked as he smoothed Adam’s hair.  
Mickey nodded, “Go knock yourself out. I’m just gonna finish packing the bag and everything and I’ll be right down.”  
Ian headed downstairs and found Fiona in the kitchen, “Hi, Fi.”  
Fiona smiled, “Hi, E.”  
“Thanks so much for doing this for us. We never get time to ourselves.”  
Fiona laughed, “No problem at all, I like to spend time with my niece and nephews.”  
“But really, Fiona, it means a lot to Mick and I.”  
Fiona smiled, “My pleasure. Mandy’s able to help out if I need it right?”  
“Yeah. Her and Lip are on standby in case you need help. Mandy’s working tomorrow, but Lip’ll be at home with Ava, so he can come over if you need him.” Adam started wiggling and so Ian put him down. He sat on the floor and played with some cars that he had apparently hidden under the table.  
Ian lead her to their medication corner, “Tori’s getting over strep, and she’s on her last few days of meds. He picked up one bottle with a little note in front of it, “Three times a day: Morning, when she gets home from school, and night. Also when she takes it, give her the probiotic.” He put the bottle back down and pointed to a packet of capsules. “You know the drill with her epi-pen if she gets in contact with peanuts, can’t be too safe. Yev’s pills are just in the morning, make sure he eats first. Adam doesn’t take anything. Just make sure that he stays on his sleep schedule, otherwise he’ll get really cranky. He’s allowed thirty minutes of tv or movie after breakfast, after dinner he’s allowed 90 minutes, Nova and Disney or anything in his bin under the TV in the cabinets. Before bed he likes it if you read George’s Secret Key to The Universe by Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy, one chapter a night, but he has to be in his pajamas, with his teeth brushed, and in bed. He likes to sit in your lap while you read and have his stuffed pig, Albert, and his black blanket.” He heard the suitcase come thudding down the stairs with Mickey, “Tori’s at a friend’s house until six and then she is being driven home by the parents. Yev’s allowed to go out with friends tomorrow if he wants, but he has to keep you updated on his whereabouts. Tomorrow you’re going to need to do Adam’s exercises with him, there’s a list of them on the fridge, it takes about thirty minutes. By no means are the kids allowed in the embalming room. Molly’s at a friends house tonight, but will be returning tomorrow morning for work, so she’ll be working downstairs in the basement, but she’ll be available for at least part of the day.”  
Mickey appeared at the doorway, “E, we should get going.”  
Ian gulped and checked the clock, it was fast approaching three in the afternoon, meaning that they were due to arrive at the bed and breakfast in the next hour or so.  
Adam could obviously sense a brewing disturbance in his field and he got up and wrapped himself around Mickey’s legs.  
Mickey scooped the boy into his arms and held him close, gently carding his finger through Adam’s hair, “Daddy and I are going to be back on Sunday, okay.” Adam’s lower lip trembled, “Hey, buddy. It’s alright, Aunt Fi is going to say with you, and then Daddy and I will be back.”  
Ian sighed as he knew what was going to happen, just like every day at they sent Adam to school, a fight was always put up.  
The trembling lip turned to crying, which then turned to sobs. Adam held onto Mickey for dear life and wouldn’t even let Ian take him.  
“Daddy and I will be home on Sunday,” Mickey repeated as he rubbed Adam’s back, “Just a two days, and then we’ll be home.”  
Ian was able to finally recieve Adam into his arms and he gave the sobbing boy a good cuddle, “It’s alright, Adam. Shhhhhhh, it’s alright. Daddy’s gotcha. It’s alright.”  
Adam continued to cry even louder and Yevgeny came into the kitchen and hugged Mickey and then held onto one of Adam’s hands, “C-come on, Adam. Let’s go play.”  
Adam pulled his hand back and buried his face into Ian’s shoulder.  
It took five minutes for Fiona to pry Adam off of Ian and when she did, things got worse. The screaming started on top of the sobs and Ian and Mickey were both starting to feel overwhelmed, “why don’t you two go, maybe that will help. I’ve got him. I’ll get him settled. We’ll be okay. See you Sunday.”  
They nodded slowly and then headed out of the house hearing their son’s cries and begs for Papa and Dada.  
Mickey got their suitcase into the car and then took the driver’s seat, “Well, that was a royal fuckin’ mess.”  
“It’s the first time, Mick.” He thought about it for a moment, “Maybe we shouldn’t go.  
Mickey shook his head, “No, Ian. We have to do this. If not for our sakes for his. We gotta learn separation, both us and him. And yeah, it fuckin’ sucks to put him through this and I want to just be there for him, but we need our time. We need couple time and he needs Adam time.”  
They chatted on the drive north to the bed and breakfast and when they got there, they checked in and then went up to their room.  
Mickey and Ian unzipped their bag and Mickey pulled out two bottles of their non-alcoholic beer, he handed Ian one of them and they said ‘cheers’ and then they headed to the bed. They both laid down, Mickey with his arm around Ian’s shoulder, “You hear that?” he asked.  
“What?” Ian asked as he brought his beer to his lips.  
Mickey smiled, “It’s quiet. No fighting, no crying, just quiet.” His hand rested on Ian’s thigh and squeezed, “Just you and me.”  
Ian nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of Mickey’s head, “I love you, Mick.”  
“I love ya too, Ian.” Mickey and Ian sat there in silence for a moment, “You did bring our gear right?”  
Ian nodded, “Sure did. Thirty minutes?”  
“Thirty minutes.”  
They remained on the bed talking for about an hour and half more and then they realized that they had forgotten to start and that they were due downstairs for dinner.  
Mickey and Ian got a table near a large window, candles were on the table and there was a large bottle of sparkling grape juice, since neither Ian nor Mickey drank. Mickey pulled out Ian’s chair for him and then sat down across from him, “So, I was thinking that tonight we can.. You know...”  
Ian smiled, “That’s not even a question or even something you should think about. Of fuckin’ course we’re going to fuck. We both need it.”  
For dinner they had filet mignon and dessert was chocolate cake. By the end of the meal, they were ready to head upstairs, and so, after a brief discussion about the following weeks, they went back up to their room.  
Once in their room, Mickey pushed Ian against the back of the door and smashed their lips together, kissing passionately with such aggression that it felt like the first time that they had kissed over fifteen years ago.  
Mickey kept Ian pushed against the door as he knelt down, “Can I?”  
Ian nodded briskly and tilted his head towards the ceiling, he was enjoying the sense of anticipation.  
Mickey slowly undid Ian’s zipper and then slowly pulled his partner’s dick out, no underwear to get in the way. He could hardly breathe just from being so aroused by his husband, he gripped Ian’s cock in one hand and looked up at Ian, “Jesus christ, your dick is so perfect. I just want it stuffed in me.” He placed his finger over Ian’s urethral opening and started stroking the head as beads of pre-cum started forming. Ian’s head pressed harder against the door as Mickey started pumping his cock, “the only dick that will ever be in me.”  
Ian couldn’t help but bite his lip at that, he loved the idea that he was the only person who Mickey had ever bottomed for, and that he was the only one Mickey would get fucked by for the rest of his life.  
Mickey put Ian into his mouth and he began to blow Ian slowly as Ian moaned and groaned. After a good amount of time, Mickey and Ian got on the bed. Ian laid back and Mickey trailed kisses along his stomach and chest as he took Ian’s pants off. Once Ian’s pants were off, Mickey stripped and then grabbed a tube of lube and slicked up Ian’s cock, “Fuck. I need you in me so bad,” He slowly slipped himself onto Ian’s cock. He moaned as he forced Ian in until he reached the base of his cock, “I feel so full,” he started slowly fucking himself on Ian’s cock, “Fuck, baby, you fill me up so well.”  
Ian smiled, “You like having my thick cock in your ass.”  
Mickey nodded and bent down briefly and kissed Ian’s chest, “It’s so good. My favorite feeling.”  
Mickey was the first to come, he groaned as he climaxed with Ian’s cock pressed against his prostate, this sent Ian over the edge and soon he was climaxing as well.  
Mickey collapsed on top of Ian and slowly eased himself off Ian’s cock, cum starting to slowly dribble out of his ass, but he kissed Ian before saying, “I’m going to go clean up. Meet you in bed?”  
“Sure.” Ian leaned back and closed his eyes.  
Mickey cleaned himself up and then climbed into bed, Ian was nearly half asleep and so he curled up next to him under the covers.  
“Hi,” Mickey pressed a kiss to Ian’s forehead as he pulled Ian closed.  
Ian smiled, eyes still shut, “Hi.”  
They tucked themselves in and then proceeded to cuddle each other, “I wonder if Adam’s okay.” Ian pondered as they started falling asleep.  
“We haven’t gotten any phone calls. I think he’s fairly okay.” Mickey pressed his face into Ian’s hair.  
“I hope he is.”  
“I hope he is too.” Mickey responded.  
Within three minutes, they had both fallen asleep in each other's arms, a rare occurrence because for once there was no child in between them. They were getting a much deserved trip away from their children, even though they really loved them, sometimes they needed adult time, and they were really grateful for Fiona giving them the ability to take a weekend for themselves, but they wouldn’t give up their children for the world. They were parents first and foremost and they wouldn’t change that for the world.


	44. Recital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looky here. I finally got around to posting this. Mickey and Ian go to Tori's dance recital.

**January 25th 2027:**

 

“Tori, we gotta get going soon.” Ian reminded as he stuck his head outside of the master bedroom for a brief moment. 

Tori poked her head outside of her room, “I know, daddy.” Her gorgeous red loose curls bounced as she went skipping down the hall, “Where’s papa?”

Ian went back into the master bedroom and finished buttoning up his shirt, “he’s in our bathroom getting ready. Go get your hairbrush and all the little ties and pins and sit on the bed until he’s ready to help you.” He draped his tie around his neck and then started to tie it as Tori nodded, her curls bouncing, and then took off for the kid’s bathroom.

It was going to be a rather long day of events, and the family needed to get going sooner rather than later.

Viktoriya came running into the master bedroom once more at lighting fast speed and jumped onto the bed. She put her brush down and created a little pile of hair ties and hair pins.

Mickey came out of the bathroom, he was in a black dress shirt, with a black tie, and black pants. His hair was perfectly gelled in the style that he wanted, and he looked really put together. 

Ian smiled at him and bit his lower lip a little. His husband was extremely attractive, always had been, but Mickey had really cleaned himself up through the course of the marriage, but he still was himself. He was still the tough southside guy at heart, but he simply dressed a little nicer now.

“Alright, princess, let’s get your hair done so we can go.” Mickey got onto the bed and sat down before patting his lap.

Ian went to go get Adam up and ready as Mickey did Tori’s hair in preparation for her recital.

“Are you excited?” Mickey asked as he tied a ponytail at the top of Tori’s head and then started braiding it, before tying it off at the end with another hair tie. 

Tori nodded in response as her Papa created a bun from the braid and fastened it with numerous pins, a meticulous task to make sure that the bun stayed in placed.

Mickey pressed a kiss in Tori’s hair, “there we go, papa and daddy’s little ballerina is all ready.” 

Tori nodded and pressed a kiss to the tip of Mickey’s nose, “thank you, papa.”   
Mickey pressed a kiss to her forehead, “alright, now go check and see if Yevy’s ready while I go help daddy with Adam.”

His daughter nodded in return and then went running to go find her older brother.

Mickey headed down the hall and found Ian sitting on the edge of Adam’s bed, rubbing his back, “Is he awake?”

“He’s waking up.” Ian’s hand smoothed Adam’s hair and Mickey sat down next to him.

The little boy was lying on side, curled up so that he faced Ian, his eyes were just barely open and looked sleepy, and his index finger and middle finger were in his mouth. He had quite obvious just started the wake up process only a few minutes before and was no doubt going to be a challenge to get ready. 

Mickey’s hand smoothed Adam’s hair and he smiled at him, “hey, buddy. Let’s get up so that we can get going. Daddy’s gonna get you ready, okay?”

Adam nodded slightly and sat up slowly, fingers still in his mouth and Mickey pressed a kiss in his hair and then got up to go check on Yev’s progress. 

He found Yev sitting at his desk dressed in the outfit that Ian had set out for this occasion the other day, “studying?”

Yev nodded, “Yes, P-Papa.” 

If there was one thing that Mickey was extremely proud of it was all of his kids and their want to succeed and, for the older two, commitment to studying. 

“Thank you for studying, but we need to head out for Tori’s recital in a moment.”

Yevgeny nodded and got up from his desk, leaving his science notes, and then grabbed his jacket and left the bedroom with his dad.

They ran into Tori at the bottom of the stairs, where she was busy tugging on her shoes and tying the laces.

“Did you put your shoes in your bag, Tori?” Mickey asked as him and Yev reached the bottom of the stairs. 

Tori nodded and pointed to her bag, “yes, papa.” She stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder just as Ian came down carrying Adam. 

Mickey grabbed his keys and his wallet and then started the march to the car.

Ian got Adam into his car seat and then everyone piled into the car and then headed off to the school. 

When they arrived, Tori went downstairs immediately to go find her dance group, and Ian and Mickey went to the flower concession stand while Yevgeny talked to his friends.

“Should we get her some roses, Ian?” Mickey asked as hoisted Adam onto his hip.

Ian nodded, “Yeah, shall we get her the red ones?” Ian asked as he checked to make sure that there were fresh roses that wouldn’t wilt too fast. 

Adam sucked on his fingers as he observed the chaos around them, parents meeting family members and hugging each other in the crowded lobby of the school, teenagers traveling in packs. The sheer noise of it all was enough to set him on edge and Mickey was able to notice this rather easily, “E, I think that we’re gonna have some troubles with bringin’ him into the theater.”

“If we have problems, one of us will just have to leave with him.” Ian said as he dug into his wallet and pulled out cash to pay for the flowers as Mickey adjusted Adam on his hip, “we just have to hope that we can both make it to Tori’s performance. She’s one of the first groups, so we should be fine.”

Mickey nodded and smoothed Adam’s hair with his free hand as Ian selected the right bundle of flowers.

They then sat down on the weird benches in the lobby and Mickey sat Adam on his lap, “I hate school functions. They are so boring.”

“This isn’t a school function, Mick. This is our daughter’s dance recital.” Ian reminded as he rested the flowers next to him. 

The lights in the lobby dimmed and then came up again, dimmed then came up again, and finally dimmed once more, “Alright, Mick. We gotta go find seats.”

Mickey put Adam back on his hip as Ian grabbed the flowers, “Yev’s not sitting with us, right?”

“Nah, I thought that we should let him sit with his friends.” Ian explained as they entered the auditorium.

They found seats in the middle of the auditorium and then sat down. Adam sat on Mickey’s lap and pressed his face to Mickey’s chest as Ian sat on Mickey’s left hand side, “I hope that she does a good job.” Mickey murmured.

“She will.”

Adam made it through the first two performances, which was perfect because Tori’s group was in the third performance slot.

Mickey held Adam close on his lap and tried to look for Tori, he found her rather easily due to her bright red hair, “I found her.” Mickey whispered to Ian and smiled as he watched his daughter’s ballet performance to Tchaikovsky's  _ Waltz of The Flowers _ . He teared up as he watched his daughter dance with her dance classmates. She looked positively ecstatic to be up on stage with her friends, and her being happy made Mickey and Ian happy. 

Mickey could sense that Adam was becoming agitated and so they left the auditorium after Tori’s performance and sat down on the benches outside.

“She looked really happy.” Mickey said as he reached into the bag that held some of Adam’s toys. He pulled out Adam’s stuffed rabbit and handed it to him.

Adam stuck his two fingers in his mouth and sucked on them as he held his rabbit close and started to fall asleep.

Ian and Mickey sat there until all the audience members came flooding out of the auditorium and then it was a matter of seconds until Yevgeny found them and then only a few minutes until Tori showed up.

Tori was smiling and her cheeks were pink as she ran to her dads, “Daddy! Papa! Did you see me? Did you?” She asked as she flung herself at Ian. 

Ian left the roses on the bench for a second and then picked her up, “yeah. I did and so did Papa, Adam, and Yevy.” He picked up the bundle of flowers, “and look at what we got you baby girl.”

Tori’s face lit up when she saw the flowers and she wrapped her arms around Ian’s neck and hugged him tightly, “thank you, daddy and papa.” 

Ian pressed a kiss into her hair, “You’re welcome, baby.”

She picked her head up and look Ian in the face, “daddy, I’m not a baby. I’m eight.”

“Alright, let’s go get some ice cream.” Mickey suggested and they headed out to the car.

They went to the car and got some celebratory ice cream, “You did really good in your show today, Tori. You should be proud of yourself, kiddo.”

Tori smiled, “I am” she spooned ice cream into Adam’s mouth as they drove home.

Mickey smiled at his kids as Ian drove and whispered to Ian, “we’ve got a really nice family.”

Ian nodded, “we do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any requests, feel free to send me any as I'm pretty much out of them. :)


	45. Falling Down The Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> maryellen590 (AO3): Could you do one where someone in either one of there family passes away and its real hard for ian or micky and ofc mickey having to do the arrangements etc.
> 
>  
> 
> WARNING THERE IS STILLBIRTH, LATE TERM MISCARRIAGE INVOLVED IN THIS CHAPTER!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING THERE IS STILLBIRTH, LATE TERM MISCARRIAGE INVOLVED IN THIS CHAPTER!

**July 20th 2024**

  
  


Mickey had been in the basement when he heard the rapid knocking on the front door. He groaned as he dropped his suture needle onto Mr. Dimitri's chest. He had luckily just finished suturing up Mr. Dimitri’s jugular and so he was at an okay stopping point. He dabbed on some inr-seel and then cut the long end off the sutures and put his needle on his tray. He moved around the embalming table, slipped his scrubs off over his work clothes, threw them on the counter and then left the room, shutting the door behind him. He ran up the steps to the first floor and then opened the front door.

A smallish figure flung their arms around him as they sobbed.

“Hey, Mands, you alright?” Mickey asked as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

Of course she wasn’t alright, she had been pounding on the front door, and was a sobbing mess.

He held her close, “hey, Mands, what’s up?” he asked as he smoothed her hair and tried to calm her down.

“Mick, we lost the baby. She’s gone.” She said through sobs as she picked her head up off Mickey’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes, “how do I tell Lip?” She asked as tears streamed down her face.

Mickey held her closer, “Fuck.” He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, “I’m so sorry, Mandy. That’s terrible.” He rubbed her back, “The best person you can have by your side right now is him. Want me to call him and tell him you two need to talk?” Mandy nodded and Mickey helped her into the house, “what do you need me to do for you Mandy? Ice cream? Coffee? Space?”

“Lip and ice cream.” Mandy said as she got to the couch.

Mickey nodded, “will do. You just stay put.”

Mickey called Lip as soon as he left Mandy for a brief bit to get the ice cream. He didn’t tell Lip the details of what was going on because he didn’t feel like it was his place, but he did say that Lip needed to leave work immediately and drive to the funeral home. Lip gave him the timeframe of about thirty minutes and then hung up.

Mickey got a pint of ice cream from the fridge and found Mandy. He sat on the couch, “you wanna talk about it?”

“They don’t know why she died. We were in the clear, nothing looked wrong, but when I went in today they told me that her heartbeat was gone.” She started sobbing, “she was fine two weeks ago at the 30 week ultrasound.” She sobbed as she pulled Mickey into her arms, “they said that she’s been dead for about five hours.”

Mickey nodded and held her a little closer, “these things sometimes happen, Mands. I know that that’s not going to relieve your pain, but there was nothing that you could have done. It wasn’t your fault.” He rubbed her back, “this is going to be very difficult for you and Lip to deal with, but you two can do it. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to fuckin’ suck though, it’s going to fuckin’ suck and be one of the most painful, if not the most painful thing that you will ever go through. Just know that Ian and I will be here for the both of you.” He hugged her tightly, refraining from even accidentally touching her baby bump.

Mandy cried as she held onto her brother for dear life, “the doctor said that I can either wait until it happens naturally or get induced when I’m ready, and that there will be a grief counselor that will come in a little bit after she is delivered. Apparently, the doctors will have to look her over and then Lip and I will be able to decide what to do next. What do I do with her after? I’m scared.”

Mickey held his sister close and was straight forward with her, “you can either accept or deny autopsy, that could tell you what happened, but a good amount of the time, there will be no answer if the genetics were normal and the scan didn’t show anything. Then you’ll be asked about burial or cremation, and she’ll be transported to a funeral home of your choosing.”

Mandy looked up at her older brother with tears streaming down her face, “Mickey, would you do it? Please. I don’t want anyone touching her that I don’t trust. I don't want someone who I don't know to prepare her funeral.”

Mickey nodded, “Of course you want someone you know to do it, and I'll do it for you and Lip, Mands. I'll take care of it all, no need to worry yourself about that aspect. Just enjoy your time together as a family the best you can. When you're ready for this, make sure to not take too much sedative and make sure to give yourself all the time you need to hold her. You can hold her as long as you like, give her a bath, dress her, whatever helps you grieve. Make sure that you do what you and Lip want to do with her after she is delivered, because that's the time that you three will get together. You're gonna want to keep the memories and to have them, but please make sure that you aren't sedated heavily or you might not remember as much as you like later on.” Mickey was telling her this in a straight-forward manner as he knew that that was the best way to help Mandy feel like she was supported. She always liked the straight to the point approach when it came to anything that was hard to manage. “It's going to be incredibly painful emotionally, but Lip, Ian, and I will all be there for you.” He held her tightly and knew that his little sister's world was falling apart, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it falling apart except to be there when she needed him and when it came to the funeral preparations.

* * *

 

Lip arrived at the house around three in the afternoon, exactly thirty one minutes after he had gotten off the phone with Mickey, and he nervously started looking around trying to find his wife and his brother-in-law. The moment that he had stepped into the funeral home/ home of his brother and his husband, a weird mood came over him, the sense that something was terribly wrong.

It didn't take him too long to find Mandy sobbing on the couch in the receiving area of the funeral home. She was enveloped in Mickey's arms and that was number one way that he knew that something was very wrong.

“Hey, Mands.” He said softly as he walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. Mandy let go of Mickey and practically threw herself onto Lip as she sobbed. Lip smoothed her hair, “hey, Mands, I'm here now. It's alright.”

Mandy let out a guttural sob and held Lip closer, “I'm not alright. She's not alright.”

Lip held onto Mandy tighter, “she's not?” Lip asked as tears came to his eyes. He couldn't make it obvious to Mandy that he was, in fact, crying.

Mickey got up from the couch and left the room, he went to the steps of the stairs, and called Ian.

Lip tried to comfort Mandy, “What's wrong?” He knew that his wife was distressed and she never got distressed like this unless she was going through something very difficult.

“We lost her, Lip. She's gone.” Mandy held him tightly and cried into his shoulder.

Lip was speechless, but he started crying within milliseconds of the words. He held Mandy tightly and they sobbed like that for a good half an hour.

They sobbed until Mandy sat up and looked at Lip seriously through her teary eyes and wiped away the tears from her cheeks, “Lip, I want to get it over and done with. I'm ready. I want to deliver her tomorrow morning.” She choked back more tears, “I want to be induced.”

Lip nodded and he placed his hands on Mandy's face, “okay”. He was in a whirlwind and he didn't know what to do, but he was gonna try his fucking hardest to be there for Mandy and help her do what she needed to do to feel the best she could in this terrible situation.

Mandy handed him a bunch of pamphlets and they started the discussion of what the plan was as they cried together. They decided that they were going to induce the next morning (they also confirmed that they would be able to get a slot in the hospital for the next day), that they wanted to have a few hours to sit and cuddle with her, two hours or so of extended family visiting, then a bath, dressing her, and then saying goodbye until they had the funeral.

* * *

**July 21st 2024**

The next morning, Mickey got a phone call around eleven in the afternoon from Lip.

Mandy had gone in to be induced around five in the morning, and since Mandy had already delivered twice before, it was short. The labor had been around five hours and it took her one hour of active labor to finally have the eight month gestated baby and Lip had been keeping him updated.

Mickey picked up the phone immediately when Lip called and put it on speakerphone so that both him and Ian could listen.

Ian sat next to Mickey and held him close, the kids were in the playroom not knowing what was going on with their aunt and Adam and Tori's birth mom, “Hey, Lip.” Mickey started as he held Ian a little closer.

Lip was obviously still extremely emotional, and his words were laced with a sadness that was next to heartbreaking to his brother and his brother-in-law, “hi,” they could tell that he was barely able to talk and he was on the verge of sobbing, “she delivered. Two pounds two ounces. She fits perfectly in my hands-” he sniffled, paused for a moment, and then continued, “Mandy's holding her now.”

Mickey nodded, “do you need anything from us?”

Ian pressed his chin on Mickey's shoulder as they heard Lip's voice crack, “can you come by in a few hours? We want to have family here.”

Mickey nodded, “of course, we'll be there around 4. Is that okay?”

Lip sniffled, “yeah.”

They talked for a little bit until Lip said that he needed to go back to Mandy.

* * *

 

Around four in the afternoon, Ian and Mickey went to the hospital. They were lead right into the room that Mandy was in, she was still on the maternity ward, but her room was further away from the rest of the rooms and away from the crying babies down the hall. Mickey and Ian had been through this hospital with Adam and Tori, they knew that every time that a baby was born, a little sign was hung that was either blue or pink that would say 'call before entering if you are family' and then displayed the other parent's number, but Mandy's room had one that was pink, but one that stated that no one was allowed in without being a doctor, nurse, or with permission from the patient hung on the door, the last sign was one that was handwritten by a nurse that stated, 'the family in this room are currently grieving. Please do not walk with your babies down this hall. Thank you'. Mickey knew that it was something that the nurses would ask the parents about at this hospital when a stillbirth had occurred, and he was glad that Mandy and Lip were taking care of themselves by realizing that having babies in the hallway would exacerbate their pain and that they did something about it.

Mickey knocked on the door softly and they heard a soft, “come in”, and so he slowly opened the door to the room.

Mandy was sitting on the bed with a pillow over her thighs, she looked physically and emotionally exhausted, Lip was sitting next to her and he was holding a little bundle and he looked the same.

“Hi,” Mickey said as they approached the bed.

He sat in a chair that was next to the bed and Ian sat in the other one.

Mandy managed to say 'hi' and she started talking about the plans she had. Mickey knew that she was powering through this period of time by reciting the next steps she was gonna take. If going to plan was going to help her for the time being, that was more than reasonable.

A particularly heart wrenching moment was when Lip asked, “could we still name her?”

Mickey nodded, “of course you can, she's your daughter. It's a very good thing since it makes her more close to you, so instead of calling her 'the baby' you're able to have a name, one that you identify with her, which will help you mourn.”

Lip nodded and pressed his lips to the tiny girl's forehead, tears flowing from his eyes.

Ian was very quiet, he wanted to be there for both his brother and his sister-in-law, but he didn't want to say the wrong thing. He found it almost scary that Lip was crying, even though he had ample reason to be crying, because Lip hardly ever cried through any of the shit that the Gallagher's had gone through, and so this meant that he really did care. Lip was finally letting the hard wall that he had built inside of him, to protect himself from Frank's bullshit, down, and it was a little unnerving, but it was good because he was not bottling his emotions about this incredibly sucky situation.

Mickey held Mandy's hand, “do you guys have a name that you like?” He asked as he smoothed his thumb over the back of her hand.

Mandy nodded, “yeah,” her fingers brushed the soft sparse hair on top of the baby's head as Lip cradled her very gently.

“Nova Alice Gallagher,” Lip said as he kept his eyes on his daughter.

Mandy nodded as she stroked the skin of Nova's tiny hand with her pointer finger, “Nova due to supernovas which are dying stars, they can outshine galaxies and give out more energy then the sun and Alice because she fell down the rabbit hole and mommy and daddy can't save her.” Her lip trembled and she kissed the top of the little girl's head.

Lip nodded and he wiped his tears with the back of his free hand, “we're going to aim for Saturday, if that's okay. No autopsy, they're running an amino and blood tests, but they told us we probably aren't going to get any answers.” He held his breath for a moment, “No open casket, but we do want to have her embalmed, and Mandy and I want to be able to hold her and see her though.”

Mickey nodded, “perfectly doable,” he squeezed Mandy's hand, “there's also a little room in the basement that's private where you two can hold her. There's a couch in there and a rocking chair so that you two can spend some comfortable time together as a family.”

Lip nodded, “thanks, Mick and Ian, for everything.”

Mandy rolled on her side and curled up close to Lip and stroked Nova's hair.

“If you need anything, we'll be here for you, but for now I think that we are going to give you two some privacy.” Mickey said as he let go of Mandy's hand and then held Ian's.

They got up and then left the room after saying their goodbyes.

Ian finally woke up from his stunned state once he was out of the room, “fuck, that seems impossible to deal with. I don't know how they are doing it.”

“They don't know how they are doing it either, but they're coping and doing it. I'm glad that they both know what they want in terms of the funeral and in terms of how they want her taken care of. That's important, but that doesn't mean that this isn't going to be one of the most painful things that they go through.” Mickey sighed as they signed out of the maternity ward, “Lip really is doing a good job helping her. I've always been a harsh judge about him, but I think that he really does care about her and that he's taking care of both of them right now.”

Ian nodded, “I've never seen him like that. Not even when things were really bad between Monica and Frank, he rarely cried, and he never cried like that.” Ian was really glad that Lip was taking care of Mandy and himself and that he was getting emotional about this instead of shutting down and abandoning Mandy. It was a testament to the work Mandy had put into getting close to Lip and helping him realize that life and especially love shouldn't have to be a constant battle.

“It's good that he is. He's setting himself up for an easier road in the long run dealing with this now and not when he becomes an alcoholic with a drug problem because of it.

“That's the last thing we need in this family again.” Ian pointed out, “that would be fuckin' miserable for Mands.”

Mickey nodded, “It would be. I just hope that the funeral is okay and everything. I want it to at least provide a little relief that they aren't having to plan everything and that everything goes to plan.”

* * *

**July 25th 2024**

On Saturday, The Milkovich Family Funeral Home and Crematorium was jam packed with the Gallagher family (excluding Frank), the Milkovich family, and dozens of Lip and Mandy's friends and coworkers.

Mickey had put out all the stops for this funeral, because it was for family, and family meant a lot to him.

The flowers were carefully selected, calla lilies, the casket was carefully chosen (even though there was to be no open casket), the house was cleaned perfectly, baked good were out in the reception room, and Mandy and Lip were in the basement in, what Mickey called, 'The Family Room'. It was a small room in the basement that was dedicated to allowing private time between a deceased infant or child and their parents. Mickey had also, with the help of Ian, made a small memory box with pictures of Lip and Mandy with Nova, Nova's little hand and feet prints, a small molded plaster piece of her hands and feet, a lock of her hair, and little things that the hospital had given her to wear. Him and Ian had also gone through the house the other day and hid anything that had to do with having a baby to make sure that when they returned home, they weren't bombarded with an excess amount of sadness.

In the reception area, Mickey dealt with the family, making sure that they knew that Mandy and Lip were just taking some private time with their daughter, their final family moments, before she was going to be buried in the beautiful cemetery that Mickey had found for them.

The plot was a small section of a family plot that Lip had decided to buy due to the recent events in their family. Both him and Mandy wanted to buried with their children, if possible, and so burying Nova in a spot that had room for more than one was quite important to them.

Ian stood by the small little box that was in the reception area. It was meant for little notes from family members to Lip and Mandy, little words of encouragement or support. The box wasn't going to be opened until both Mandy and Lip were ready, whether that be weeks, months, years, decades, or never.

Fiona came up to him slowly, dressed more modestly than normal, “Mickey did a good job, especially due to short notice.”

Ian nodded as he grabbed a cup of lemonade, “he's got to work on short notice the majority of the time. But, yeah, he definitely did a good job. He really wanted it to be as nice as a funeral for a baby can be.”

Fiona nodded, “I have no idea how they are doing it right now, I really don't.”

“They have no choice but to deal with it, because this is their reality. It's a reality that sucks.” Ian took a swig of his lemonade, “they're just spending time as a family, as they wait for the time that their daughter will be lowered into the ground. The sad part is, Lip was ready to be a dad and Mandy was ready to be a mom, and they had that torn away from them.”

Fiona nodded slowly, “they certainly did. Do they know why?”

Ian shook his head, “from the preliminary examination and testing on the amino and blood, they haven't gotten any reason as to why.” He took a sip of his lemonade, “but the tests are still being run, so things might come up. Mickey says that it's unlikely though, and he deals with a lot of these cases, so he should have a good sense. Something like fifty percent of cases are never explained.”

Fiona nodded, “so they just try again?”

“Well, yeah, I mean what other way would they have a baby naturally? Mandy wants to carry her own children, and considering the fact that she has already carried for Mick and I, with no issues, this situation is harder, because she knows that she is able to carry.” Ian saw the door to the basement open and Mandy and Lip emerge.

They looked tired and stressed as they entered the crowd of people in the reception area slowly. They didn't talk to anyone, and no one talked to them. It was hard to know what to say to someone who had recently lost their baby so close to their due date, it was a matter that was never really talked about; therefore, no one really knew how to deal with the situation.

Ian watched as Mandy hugged Mickey and talked to him briefly. His brother sat on the couch in the reception area and just stared at a wall. It was something that had recently become a habit of Lip's; he would gaze at something and seem very far away, sometimes for long periods of time.

* * *

 

They remained like that for the remainder of the hour and then they headed off to the cemetery.

When they arrived it had just started raining, which to Ian was the perfect weather for a funeral.

There was no priest, no pallbearers, nothing overly fancy; just a plot with room for a headstone to be put in soon after, as it had been ordered on short notice.

When the time came for Mandy and Lip to bury their child, everyone started crying. It was the first time in both the Gallagher and Milkovich families that an infant had passed away and it was heartbreaking for the entire family (although not to the extent that it was for Lip and Mandy).

As Nova was lowered into the ground, Ian held their, nearly one year old, son incredibly close. Mickey held onto Tori and Yev's hand.

The children understood what was going on. It was not a thing that Mickey was going to hide from them, especially when it involved Mandy, because Mandy didn't like to hide anything from the kids, especially because this baby was their womb sister.

At the end of the ceremony, Lip and Mandy went back to their house on the North Shore empty handed and with empty hearts. They became rather quiet, not speaking to family as much as normal as they grieved, but it was a process and everyone knew it would take time for them to get out of the incredibly sad stage.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the short story of Nova Alice Gallagher (if it was unclear, she was conceived about three or so months after Adam was born and died around 8 months gestation). I cried a lot while doing research for this chapter, but I think it's important to talk about these types of things because unfortunately they do happen and they are heartbreaking moments.


	46. Another Daughter

**September 2nd 2025**

 

Mickey twiddled his thumbs as he sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, Adam sitting on his knee, and Ian sitting right next to him.

A nurse with honey brown hair and a pleasant face approached them slowly and Mickey felt his anxiety heighten.

“Is she alright?” Ian asked as he looked at the nurse nervously.

The nurse nodded, “she’s fine, she’s being monitored and things seem to be progressing smoothly.”

Mickey nodded, “can we go see her?”

The nurse nodded once more and Mickey and Ian got up, Adam on Mickey’s hip, and followed her to a small room. This was the hospital where Mandy had always delivered, but this time, things were different. They were being lead down a different hall away from where their children had been born, but they soon entered a birthing center that was attached to the labor and delivery wing. The nurse took them to a room and they went inside.

Mandy was in the bed, she was currently at 7 centimeters and her midwife was expecting, like the other times, that she would speed right through to ten, “hi, guys”, she waved her hand.

“No medication?” Mickey asked as he noticed that she was not hooked up to an I.V. and she was fairly free moving. He put Adam on the bed and he curled up next to Mandy on the bed, he knew, from Mickey talk to him about what not to do, that he couldn’t touch aunt Mandy’s belly because it hurt.

Mandy smiled and started smoothing Adam’s hair, “no meds. We figured that I’ve birthed enough children to be at the point that medication is kinda not necessary. I also just don’t want to be pumped full of drugs for the delivery.” She pressed a kiss in Adam’s hair, “thanks for coming, guys. Lip is trying to get home as quick as he can, he got on the fastest flight home.”

Mickey’s phone rang, he picked it up and then excused himself for a brief moment to go back to the waiting room and give Adam to Fiona.

“I bet he was surprised, but she really just wants to get into the world now.”

Mandy smiled, “I’m kinda glad that she’s coming a little early, she’s at 39 weeks, so she’s not considered a preemie and the midwife says that she’s doing really well and she’s rather large, so the due date might have been miscalculated, especially since Lip and I tend to fuck like rabbits.” She laughed and then her face dropped a little, “I’m just worried that he’s not going to make it in time, and that he’ll miss the birth.”

“He’ll make it, Mands. He’s Lip fuckin’ Gallagher, he’ll make it, even if he has to fucking sprint all the way here.” Ian chuckled and rested his hand on her shoulder, “he'll make it.”

“I hope that she looks like him.” Mandy said as she felt another contraction coming on. She gritted her teeth and started to take deep breaths, “he better fuckin' make it.”

“Do you wanna go sit on that ball thing over there?” He asked as he gave Mandy is hand to squeeze.

Mandy nodded, “once this contraction is over,” she said through her teeth. Her hand went to her belly and she pressed her hand to it, trying to ease the pain.

When the contraction finished, Ian helped get Mandy out of bed and he got her sitting on the yoga ball next to the bed as the midwife came into the room.

“I hear that you progressed quickly, Mandy, that's really good,” the midwife said as she looked at the chart of Mandy's contractions. She stretched out her hand to Ian, “I don't think I know you-”

Ian shook her hand, “Ian, I'm her brother's husband and she's my brother's wife.”

The midwife nodded, “I'm Merry. So, you two must be the one's who Mandy has delivered for?” She helped Mandy lean over against the bed while sitting on the ball. She massaged Mandy's back carefully and hummed softly.

Ian nodded and smiled, “yeah. Mands is a real trooper when it comes to delivering.” He sat in the chair next to the bed as he watched the midwife work.

“Still no daddy?” Merry asked, her hands rubbed Mandy's shoulders as she contracted again.

Mandy shook her head, her hair swishing from her ponytail, “he's on his way.”

Mickey returned and sat next to Ian after introducing himself to Merry.

Mandy continued having more and more rapidly paced contractions as time went on. They became more intense and finally she was at 9 centimeters and she was sobbing.

“Where's Lip?! He can't fuckin' miss this!” She sobbed as she tried to breathe through her contraction. Merry rubbed her back and Ian and Mickey each held one of her hands.

“I don't know what to say, Mands. He's on his way and I'm sure that he'll be here as soon as he possibly can.” Mickey said as he squeezed her hand, “Ian and I'll be here for ya. I'm sure that Lip got held up somewhere on the way home from Boston.”

Ian was rapidly pounding away at his phone with his free hand, trying to get in touch with his older brother and having no success.

That was the case, until the door opened with a bang and Lip appeared.

His hair was untamed, his eyes were wide, his suit was wrinkled, he looked like he had been through utter hell, but he urgently went over to Mandy, “Mands.”

Mandy had been out of it for a few moments as she tried to manage her breathing in response to the contractions, but she snapped out of it and sobbed out a, “Lip!”, relief flooding through the room as Mandy realized that Lip had made it home right on time.

Merry gave up her spot and Lip started to rub Mandy's back, counting under his breath so that Mandy had a sense of the length of her contractions. During the brief in between contractions time, Lip bent over Mandy's body and kissed her cheek whispering, “it's alright, Mands, I'm here. I'm here and I'm not gonna leave you.” His fingers massaged her back, “you're doing really well, Mands, really well.”

Mickey and Ian left the room after they realized that Lip had settled into helping Mandy and as soon as they realized that Mandy's labor had progressed into the pushing phase, a phase they wanted to not be a part of on this occasion.

The Gallaghers had already gathered in the waiting room and so Mickey and Ian joined them. Mickey sat with Adam on his knee and sat with Tori and Yevgeny and helped them with their homework.

Around six o'clock, the doors to the waiting room flung open and Lip appeared with a tear stained face, “it's a girl.”

The family erupted into cheers and applause, and everyone seemed to bombard Lip with hugs and congratulatory wishes.

Mickey patted Lip on the back, “does she have a name?”

“Ava. Ava Mae Gallagher.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how short this is, but people really wanted Lip and Mandy to have another child and I was planning on it already, so here she is! :) I've been thinking that I might do another split in the story and have another work in the same universe and everything, but from the Lip and Mandy life, so Lip working as a professor and Mandy as a hairstylist, and showing their journey as well as continuing this journey for Ian and Mickey. If this sounds interesting to you or like it's something you might want to read, please tell me so that I get a good sense of who would be interested and who woudn't. Thank you so much and I hope that this chapter was a little bit happier! :)


	47. Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doddz (AO3): Could you do one where Ian has a low period, Mickey and the kids each have their own unique ways helping him through it.

 

**April 16th 2026**

It was Saturday morning and Mickey was up and in the kitchen making pancakes. Adam played under the table with his little toy cars happily as Tori and Yevgeny sat in the living room watching a program waiting for their father to finish making breakfast.

As Mickey poured three new blobs of batter on the griddle, he glanced at the clock and realized that it was ten in the morning, and yet Ian still wasn’t downstairs. Concern filled his mind: had Ian started running a fever in the middle of the night? Was he just a little more tired than usual from his travels? Was he doing fine and sitting at the desk upstairs writing that terribly time consuming book? Was he just showering?

Mickey turned on the radio and tried to drown out his thoughts with talk radio.

_ ‘When I got to the Iowa farm that I grew up at, I realized that things had changed.’ _ Mickey changed the station, not wanting to hear someone’s laments about their childhood home. He knew that people changed, that places had changed, perhaps he was an example of the ability for people to change. He certainly wasn’t the same anymore. It was 2026 and he was thirty one, nearly thirty two, his finger tattoos had faded to the point that they could just barely be seen, except if someone was looking for them; his face seemed to look older, but Ian said that he still looked exactly the same; he had been married for eleven years to the love of his life, and he was happy.

The sweet sappy songs of summer played on the radio as Mickey flipped the pancakes with their Mickey Mouse spatula, a gift from the kids for Papa’s day, the small disks of batter which were a gorgeous hue of light brown on the top. 

As he waited for the pancakes to finish cooking, he poured five glasses of orange juice and one glass of apple juice and brought them to the table. He placed the glasses around the table, two on the sides and one  at each end. He placed the apple juice glass at one of the side spots and then ruffled Adam’s hair, “breakfast will be ready in a minute, bubba. Can you go get your siblings?”

Adam nodded briskly and then stood up and went running to the living room to go get his siblings. 

Mickey took the pancakes off the griddle and put them on the empty plates as his anxiety started to really mount. 

Molly came downstairs and started to place the plates on the table.

“Molly, I’m going to check on Ian.” He turned off the griddle and then went left the kitchen to go upstairs. 

Toys covered the staircase as normal and he needed to remember to ask the kids to clean them up after breakfast. Nonetheless, he went upstairs and then went into the master bedroom and found Ian still in bed. He grew worried, “babe, are you going to come down and eat with us?” Mickey asked as he approached the bed. 

Ian rolled over in bed and covered his head with a pillow.

“Ian, are you okay?” Mickey asked as he rested his hand on Ian’s arm, “babe, I’m worried about you.”

Ian picked his face up from the mattress and Mickey noticed that Ian had been crying, “can you just go?”

Mickey shook his head and stroked Ian’s arm, “babe, I’m not going to just leave you up here. I’m really worried about you.” He moved his hand, picked up the pillow, and started rubbing Ian’s head, “baby, I’m worried. Are you having an episode?” Ian nodded and Mickey nodded in response, “alright. We’ll get through it, babe. Want a back rub?”

Ian nodded and sat up before leaning forward and letting Mickey rub his back and shoulders. 

“We’ll get your medication in you once you eat.” Mickey said as he kissed the back of Ian’s neck, “everything’s gonna be alright.”

Ian nodded, “I’m just so tired and I don’t want to be affecting the kids negatively.”

“Ian, they don’t care. They want to be there for you. Those kids would come running up here the moment that I said you were sad, and you know it. They care about you a lot.” 

Ian nodded, “I know,” he wiped his face, “I’m just worried that I’ll fuck them up.”

“You won’t, babe. You won’t. You’re a great father to them.” He kissed the back of Ian’s neck, “they love you very much and nothing is going to change that. Absolutely nothing will.”

Mickey rubbed Ian’s back and talked to him softly for a good half an hour until he heard footsteps coming up from the floor below and he knew that the kids were on their way and that they knew that something was up. 

Tori was the first to come into the room and she walked in slowly, hands behind her back, and then got on the bed and hugged Ian, “Daddy.”

“Dada!” Adam shouted as he ran and threw himself into Ian’s arms. He handed Ian his black blanket, “here, dada!” He smiled and then hugged Ian as well.

Yevgeny joined the cuddle pile and smiled, “dad, do you want me to go get ice cream for you?”

Ian shook his head and laughed a little as he wiped the tears from his eyes, “no, no, Yev. Thank you, but I’m good so long as I have all of you.”

They all ended up bringing the pancakes up with Molly and sitting in bed eating them and watching  _ Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory _ as they all stayed close to their dad.

When Violet Beauregarde blew up into a giant blueberry, Mickey leaned close to Ian and whispered, “feelin’ a little bit better.”

Ian nodded and kept his eyes focused on the television, “Yes, but I would be better with some ice cream.”

Mickey chuckled, “I’ll go get some and I’ll get your second dose of medication.” He kissed Ian’s cheek, “I’m glad that you’re feeling a little better.”

“Thank you for helping me feel a little better. I don’t feel perfect, but I feel better.” Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Ian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so short and that it took so long for me to write it. I've been in the throws of working a show. I also have been crafting a chapter for a new story in the series called "One Shots of Life at the Gallagher's" (about Lip and Mandy in the this A.U.) (this will hopefully come out soon). I have a lot of things planned and school is about to start slowing down along with the show ending, so hopefully I'll be able to start writing more. Do you guys have any ideas for the new series' title (will include this one-shots dump, the Gallagher one, and the Gallavich in the Sheets fics)? I have no ideas for a good title.


	48. The Past is Just Old Photographs

** February 9th 2027 **   


 

Ian sat at the kitchen table at twelve o’clock at night as Mickey leaned against the counter drinking a small glass of root beer with a scoop of ice cream in it, “babe, I know that you’ve become obsessed with this scrapbooking shit, but it’s midnight and we gotta go to bed.”

Ian smiled as he thumbed a photograph that he had just pasted down, “but look Mick. Look at the pictures of Yevy when he was little. Look at how young you look,” he said with a smile as he held out a picture.

Mickey approached the table and looked at the image in Ian’s hand. It was an image of Yevy in his black swim trunks when he was about one year old when they had gone to the beach. Yev was rested on Mickey’s bare chest and Mickey was sticking his tongue out at Ian, who had been taking the picture. 

Ian smiled, “I remember taking that picture.”

Mickey smiled and traced his fingers along the image, “he looks so tiny. I can’t believe that he was ever that small.” He sighed, "I can't believe he's gonna be twelve tomorrow."

“I know,” Ian murmured, "but he couldn't stay a baby forever." He then kissed Mickey’s cheek and handed him another photo to try to take his husband's mind off the fact that their son was growing up at an almost alarmingly fast rate. “That’s Tori when she had her ballet show.” He handed over the image.

Mickey looked at the picture of his smiling daughter at about the age of six, her red hair tied into a perfect  bun, which had been his personal masterpiece, and in her little black tutu and leotard holding her flowers. Mickey smiled, “wow, she’s grown up so much.” 

The photo was a little worn out but he handed it back to Ian who pasted the image on black paper.

Mickey then went rifling through their photo collection. “I never thought that we took this many photos.”

“Oh, we did. I made sure of it.” Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek. 

Mickey smiled and then found another picture of their family after Adam had been born. 

Adam was cradled in Mickey’s arms and Yev and Tori sat next to Mandy on the bed as Ian stood on the other side of the bed. Everyone had bright smiles and they all looked incredibly happy. Lip had been behind the camera and his eyes had been extremely red from crying. Adam was the first child that he had seen Mandy give birth to, so he had been extremely emotional and pretty unprepared for the feelings surrounding the event. Lip had thought that it was going to be easy to separate himself from Adam at first, but there had always been a connection due to the fact that he would stay in bed and rub Mandy’s stomach and feel him kick. Mickey knew that Lip had always reminded himself that the baby was not in fact his and that the baby was actually his nephew, but still it had been hard for him, and Ian and Mickey understood that. Lip still had that strong bond with Adam and Adam trusted him more than the average person.

Mickey smiled, “he was so tiny, even compared to Tori and Yev.” His finger ran over Adam’s printed face. “Remember when Tori held him and she was asking questions at one hundred miles an hour,” he asked with a chuckle.

Ian nodded and then found a picture of their redheaded daughter holding Adam in her arms, a nervous smile on her face. “Got a picture of that too, and yeah I do remember that. She was still a little confused about where he came from even though we had told her a thousand times before.” He pulled out another photo which was of when Yevgeny had come home for the first time. Ian was sitting on the couch in the photo with Yevgeny in his arms, the old Milkovich furniture was in the background. “Fuck, I’m so happy that we’re not living there anymore. It wasn’t a good place to raise a baby, much less a kid,” Mickey nodded, “but we managed.” 

“We sure did-” Mickey kissed Ian’s cheek “- and we did a pretty good job of raising Yev in that place even though it was pretty shitty.”

Ian laughed, “it wasn’t ‘pretty shitty’, it was really shitty. For all of us, and I still can’t believe how you were able to manage living there for as long as we did after everything that had happened there.”

Mickey shrugged, “didn’t really have a choice at the time, but I’m happy that we’re not living there anymore.” He smiled and then kissed Ian’s cheek, “I’m very happy that we’re not living there anymore.”

Ian smiled and then ruffled Mickey’s hair, “me too. I mean this is a much better place to raise them, a little unconventional, but when have we ever been conventional or normal.”

“Never,” Mickey responded with a chuckled, “we never have been normal, but that’s a good thing.”

Ian nodded, “I like that we’re not normal people or parents,” he confided, “really happy that we’re not actually.”

“That would make us incredibly boring. At least we aren’t boring or average. Sure, we’ve got crazy stories, but that’s not a bad thing really.” He rubbed his thumb against his lip.

Ian smiled, “not a bad thing at all.” he smiled softly as he thought of how much Mickey had changed positively over the past several years. He pulled Mickey into his lap and for a little while, Mickey was hesitant until Ian finally had to end up tickling him a little. “Come here thuggy,” he cooed.

Mickey gave him a look, “don’t call me that again, Milkovich.”

“Or what?” Ian asked with a silly smile on his face, “you’ll rip my fucking tongue out?” He managed to pull Mickey to sit on his lap, he smoothed his hair. “Mick, you’re so adorably tough.”

“Pretty sure those two things go together,” Mickey pointed out with a slight laugh as a small smile spread across his face.

Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek, “they so do. You try to act all tough around people, but with me it just ends up sounding like ‘I will attack you with kisses and cuddles’ and often that is the case.” He held Mickey’s hand and ran his thumb along the wedding band on Mickey’s ring finger. “I don’t mind, in fact I like it. You’ve changed and I’ve changed and we still work almost perfectly together.” He bit his lip nervously as he traced his finger along the extremely faded tattoos on Mickey’s knuckles. “I’ll admit that I was concerned that things wouldn’t work out at first, but I’m so glad that they did, Mick. I don’t think that I could live without you ever again.” He rested his head on Mickey’s shoulder and just took in his husband’s scent. 

The scent of Mickey was forever absolutely intoxicating to him, he could identify it with his eyes shut and always knew if Mickey was wearing his work clothes because he smelt different. Ian had almost come up with a list of what Mickey smelt like: his aftershave which consisted of fern, geranium, lavender, patchouli, oakmoss, and a tiny bit of Gaiac wood; his body wash which was lavender and sometimes mixed with another citrus one; and just the smell of his body, but when Mickey went to work, there was also the addition of formaldehyde and methanol mixed in. Ian happily called the scent Heaven on Earth.

Mickey smiled softly and let his other hand brush over Ian’s, “I couldn’t.” He admitted softly. “I wouldn’t want to. You’re my one and only, Ian, you really fucking are.” He kissed Ian’s cheek before getting up, “we can finish sorting through all this-” he gestured to the photographs spread all over the table “- tomorrow morning, but for now, let’s go up and get some rest.”

Ian smiled and stood up taking Mickey’s hand, “yeah, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I haven't been posting. Life has been crazy due to me prepping to move out. I hope to start writing more soon. I have a few more ideas for this story... which is now nearly.... one year old... holy shit where has the time gone. I can't believe I started this almost a year ago... that's so crazy. Anyways, see you guys again hopefully soon!


	49. It Was Bound To Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of death and dying and cancer in this chapter. Also there's a dead person in this chapter... yeah... he's an embalmer... it's a thing... lol :)

Tori ran down to the basement as fast as her little four year old legs would let her. “Daddy! Daddy! Yevgeny pulled my hair!” Her bright red hair flickered in the air as she ran down the stairs.

“Tori, I don’t want you to come in here,” Mickey warned from the embalming room. 

Mickey had a patient on the table, he threw a sheet over the body as quickly as he could, just as Tori ran into the room. 

Tori halted in the doorway and then smelled the air. "Daddy? What’s that smell?”

Mickey took his scrubs and latex gloves off. "It’s formaldehyde, sweetheart. Give me a sec, please, Tori.”

“It smells like you smell when you come back upstairs at night.”

He nodded as he tossed his gloves out. He folded up his gown, looking away for a brief second to put the gown on the counter.

It was in that brief second that Tori approached his table and pulled back the sheet. “Daddy? What’s under there?”

Mickey sighed, realizing that he would yet again have to show another child the other end of life. He smoothed back his hair and scooped Tori up. He sat her on his hip. “That is Ms. Kline. She’s dead,” he stated softly, making sure that he was straight and to the point about the subject matter.

Tori’s eyes went wide. “Really, daddy?” She inquired curiously as she looked up at her daddy.

“Yes, princess.” 

“Why?” 

Mickey pressed a kiss to his daughter’s freckled forehead. “Well, she was sick. She had something called cancer and she died from it.”

Tori nodded. “Does everyone who has cancer die?” she asked. 

Mickey could sense that her curious mind was running at lightning fast speed. He had known that this day was going to come and that Tori would have many questions. Yevgeny had understood it from a young age and had had a few questions, but Mickey knew that in terms of questions, Tori would ask the most.

Mickey shook his head and tucked Tori’s hair behind her ear. “No, princess. Nowadays a lot of people who get cancer live, but some do die. It depends on what type they have and if they catch it early.” He pointed to the table and the sheet covered body. “Ms. Kline had a type that can’t be cured, she was older, and she didn’t want treatment.” He kissed her cheek. 

“What does she look like?” 

Mickey rubbed her back. “Would you like to see her?” he asked softly.

Tori nodded curiously and then Mickey slowly pulled the sheet back from Ms. Kline’s face.

Tori rested her head on Mickey’s shoulder. “She looks kinda like a doll, daddy.”

“That’s because daddy’s job is to put makeup on her so that she looks like she’s sleeping. Can I touch her?”

Mickey kissed Tori’s cheek. “Yes, but we must be respectful of her body and wear gloves.” He carried her over to the prep area and then got out a single latex glove. He sat her on the counter and then slid it onto her tiny right hand. Mickey put his gloves on before picking her up and then carrying her over to the table. He moved over the sheet and then pulled Ms. Kline’s hand to the edge of the bed before smiling at Tori, “you can hold her hand if you want.”

Tori rubbed her face against Mickey’s shoulder before nodding and briefly holding the woman’s hand. “Daddy, her hand is very cold.”

“I know, muffin. That’s because she’s dead. The system in her body that keeps her temperature like ours is dead too, so she’s cold. She’s also been in the freezer which prevents her body from going bad and falling apart. Do you understand?” he asked softly.

Tori nodded briskly. “Will we all die?” she asked her eyes still wide as she looked at the woman on the table.

Mickey nodded and then pulled the sheet back over Ms. Kline’s body. “Yes, we all will.”

“Even you and daddy?” She asked worriedly.

Mickey kissed her forehead. “Yes, princess. Even Daddy and I will eventually-” he smoothed her hair. “- but hopefully it won’t be for a very long time.” 

Tori nodded and then rubbed her face into Mickey’s shoulder, “I don’t want you to die, daddy. I don’t want either of you to die.”

Mickey rubbed her back. “It hopefully won’t happen for a long time, baby girl.” He kissed her forehead. “Now, let’s go put Ms. Kline away and we can go upstairs and get some ice cream. How does that sound?”

Tori perked up at the idea of ice cream. “That sounds good, daddy.”

Mickey nodded and then sat Tori on the counter as he transferred Ms. Kline back to her gurney and then rolled her into the walk-in freezer. He then washed his hands and picked Tori up, “ice cream time, huh?”

Tori nodded.

 

That evening when Ian came home from running errands Mickey poured him a glass of root beer and then wrapped his arms around his waist. “Can I talk to you in the kitchen?” He buried his face in Ian’s neck and then kissed his jaw.

Ian nodded. “Everything okay?”

“For the most part,” Mickey responded before taking his husband’s hand and then leading him to to the kitchen. He handed Ian his root beer. “Tori... uh... Tori found out what I do today.”

“Mick, she’s known what you do for awhile now,” Ian said reassuringly as he smoothed Mickey’s hair.

Mickey bit his lip and then shook his head. “I mean that she saw what I do.”

Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek and then ruffled his husbands dark hair, smiling at the fact that Mickey was such a worrier and that he was constantly worried about their kids. “It was gonna happen at some point.” He held Mickey’s hand. “We planned for it. You planned for it. She was bound to find out at some point what goes on in the basement. After all this is a funeral home and she’s gonna see that type of stuff.”

“I just feel bad about it, E,” Mickey said as he wiped his lip with his thumb. “I don’t want to freak her out.” He then pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. “She asked if we were gonna die and I told her ‘yes’. What if she thinks that we’ll die soon.”

“Well then we deal with that, and tell her that that hopefully won’t happen. She has the right to know these things, Mick. Just like you’ve always said, we can’t hide from our death,” Ian softly said as he pulled his husband close.

Mickey pressed his face to Ian’s shoulder and nodded. “I love you, Ian. I love our family too.”

Ian smiled and kissed the top of Mickey’s head. He was so happy that they had gotten their lives on track and that he had a family with Mickey and that Mickey was so open now. “I love you and our family too.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek. “Now let’s get dinner going so the kids don’t eat us for dinner.”

Mickey smiled. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole idea was spawned from the fact that Mister Roger's had an episode on his show about his fish that died. It's one of the earliest positive talks about death directed at children that I've seen and I thought that it was really beautiful. I think that death needs to be talked about in society a lot more because it's inevitable no matter if we like the idea or not. So it was from rewatching that episode (I actually remembered it from reruns of the show and so I decided to rewatch it) and coming up with an idea for this fic that I decided that Mickey really would try to be as open as possible about death with his kids, but that he would also have to be more open about it because they live in a funeral home...... so anyways, that's where the chapter came from... 
> 
> I have a potential idea for a new chapter and potentially multiple chapters that I've been kicking around in my brain for a little while, however it's incredibly angsty and I'm not sure that people would enjoy it.... if you are interested in it, let me know and maybe I'll end up writing it out... we'll see. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	50. The Trouble Starts Here P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an "arch" (? that's the only thing I can relate it to) of the story that will involve a LOT of angst... (I don't want to give it away). You do not have to read it to understand any future chapters other than in this arch, it is purely optional. There will be NO character death in this arch. 
> 
>  
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Medical stuff, medical procedures, kinda graphic

**_April 16th 2029_ **

 

 It had all really started one morning when Ian had been resting his head on Mickey’s chest.

“Mick, are you feeling okay?” Ian asked as he sat up and pressed the back of his hand to Mickey’s forehead.

Mickey nodded. “Yeah. I feel fine, why do you ask?”

“A lymph node in your neck is swollen.” He circled the offending lymph node with his finger. “Don’t lie to me. If you’re feeling shitty, just tell me.”

Mickey shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re going on about. I feel fine.”

Ian felt in that moment that something really wasn’t right with his husband, “Mickey, I’m worried. You’ve lost a lot of weight and you’ve been having night sweats.” He carded his fingers through Mickey’s hair. “I know that you’ve been trying to hide it from me, but I’ve been noticing. That and that the scale in our bathroom links up with my computer. I know that you’ve been getting up in the middle of the night to change your pajamas because you’re drenched in sweat. You’re getting more and more tired recently and you can barely play with the kids without getting short of breath.” Ian stroked his husband’s hair. “I’m worried, and I really want you to go see a doctor.”

Mickey nodded. “Fine, but all they are going to tell me is that I have some sort of bug.” He knew that seeing the doctor was going to be the only way out of getting Ian to stop worrying so much. “I’ll tell Molly that I need her to man the fort with Kirk and I’ll call the doctor as soon as they open.”

Kirk was the recent hire to the funeral home. He was a very important member now because Mickey was starting to do talks to other funeral homes and to the media at times. His schedule was pretty full with running the business and also helping with taking care of the kids, so they all had decided that an extra set of hands was necessary.

Ian nodded and then smoothed his husband’s hair. “I just want to make sure that you’re healthy.”

* * *

 

Three and a half hours later, Mickey was sitting in the waiting room of his doctor’s office. He checked his email and responded to a few requests for talks and then booked them and typed them into his calendar, which was packed for the next three months.

His phone dinged with a message from Ian. ‘ _Hey, have you seen the doctor yet? I miss you._ ’

Mickey responded with a, ‘ _nope_ ’ and then a ‘ _the office is backed up apparently_ ’.

He knew that Ian was watching the phone carefully because his messages were instantly read.

‘ _Tell me when you’re done?_ ’

‘ _Of course_.’

A nurse walked into the waiting room, called his name, and he followed her to an examination room.

Her golden hair was tied in a ponytail and she smiled at Mickey when they entered the room. “I’m Meg, I’ll be your nurse today. I need you to strip down to just your underwear and put this gown on.” She reached into a cabinet and pulled out a white paper gown. “Then I’ll be back to take your vitals and measurements.”

Mickey nodded and then waited until she was out of the room to undress. He took of his pants and his shirt and then neatly folded them and put them on one of the chairs. He then unfolded the paper gown and put it on, tying it closed by the thin strips of plastic.

He stood in front of the mirror that was above the sink and looked at himself.

He hated the gown, it made him look even smaller than he was, and even paler. He looked like a skinny ghost, or like his husband had when he was a teenager: thin, lanky, and pale. His dark hair didn’t help his paleness at all, it just made him look like a goth teenager. His face was thin and he looked like he had been getting starved. He certainly hadn’t been eating as much as he always had, but that was because food made him feel nauseous. Mickey hadn’t told Ian that part, the last thing he wanted to do was to scare his husband. He knew that something wasn’t right and that he was sick. He hated the feelings of weakness that had started coming over him a few months before, which had started to increase even more over time.

He heard a knock on the door and he sat down on the exam table and said, “Come in.”

Meg returned with a smile on her face. “Alright, Mikhailo, I need to take your measurements. Please step on the scale.” She gestured toward the old fashioned scale.

Mickey got up and got on the scale and watched as she slid the little weights along it. They were a far cry from what they had been a year ago, even six months ago, he knew without even looking at the numbers, he just looked at the weights.

Meg jotted the number down and then quietly said, “120 pounds.” She then gestured towards a seat. “Take a seat and I’m just gonna take your heart rate and blood pressure.”

Mickey nodded and sat down nervously. He was visibly shaken up from the announcement of his current weight. He had lost thirty pounds in the past six months without even trying.

“Are you alright?” Meg asked, having noticed that Mickey seemed stressed.

Mickey nodded. “I just hadn’t thought that I had lost that much weight.”

Meg nodded slowly and then put her hand on Mickey’s shoulder. “I’m sure that the doctor will be able to help you, Mikhailo.”

“Call me Mickey, please.”

She nodded, “My apologies. I’ll make sure to put it in your notes,” She said with a smile as she slipped the blood pressure cuff onto Mickey’s arm. She finished taking his vitals and then started entering everything into a computer as Mickey sat on the exam table. “Any new medications?”

“Nope. I’m not on anything.”

She nodded and then logged off the computer and stood up with a smile. “The doctor will be in with you shortly.”

Mickey nodded and watched her leave. He nervously tapped his foot as he waited for the doctor.

 _‘Thirty pounds? Thirty fucking pounds?! How the fuck does that happen to a person!? That’s like I hacked my fucking arm off or started some crazy diet and exercise regimen.... Which I didn’t do!’_  He nervously thought. His thoughts coursing through his brain so fast that he couldn’t even register half of them.

Just as he started to freak out, there was a knock on the door and Mickey snapped out of it, “Come in.”

His doctor, a forty something year old named Dr. Drew, entered the room, “hello, Mickey.” He looked slightly visibly shocked when he saw Mickey’s face and body, but he maintained his composure and sat down on his rolling stool before logging into the computer. “What seems to be the problem?”

Mickey sighed as he said, “what isn’t the problem is the real question. I’ve apparently lost about thirty pounds in the past six months, I’m tired all the time, my back hurts, I have horrible night sweats, shortness of breath, and I now have this fuckin’ thing on my neck.” He caught his breath and then pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose my temper.”

Dr. Drew nodded and then rolled his stool over. “Mickey, it’s alright. I know that a lot of things are going on.” His voice was soft and reassuring, but not as lovely as Ian’s. “Can you tell me when this all started?”

“Six months ago... roughly.” Mickey took his hands away from his face. He felt like he was about to cry from sheer frustration. “But everything seems to be getting worse... way worse.”

Dr. Drew nodded and then patted the table. “Can you lie down for me?”

Mickey did so and then stared up at the ceiling as Dr. Drew snapped a fresh pair of latex gloves on.

“What could this be?”

Dr. Drew shrugged. “We won’t know until we do some further examinations, maybe a few tests.” He then stood up and approached the exam table. “I’m going to just lightly palpate your stomach and then take some measurements of your key lymph nodes.”

Mickey nodded and laid there as still as he could as Dr. Drew palpated his stomach and then took a look at the swollen lymph node on Mickey’s neck. He took measurements and then he pulled his hands away. “I’m going to now check your armpits and your groin.” He did so and then he finally went back over to the computer and jotted down notes before turning to look at Mickey.

Mickey sat up and then smiled. “So, what do I have doc? Common cold? Flu?”

The doctor shook his head. “I’m not sure, Mickey. Considering the fact that you’ve been having these types of symptoms for awhile, I’m going to recommend you get a lymph node biopsy.”

Mickey’s face dropped and he realized that this all might be a little more serious than he had thought. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly, a biopsy?”

Dr. Drew nodded. “Yes. I’ll write you an order and you can tell your insurance company, but I would like it done by Friday. There’s an outpatient surgical clinic in the hospital that you can schedule at.”

“Surgical?”

Dr. Drew nodded once again. “Yes, it’s going to have to be an open biopsy and the surgeon will remove one lymph node.” He handed Mickey the script. “They will numb the area and then cut into the skin and remove the node. It will then be stitched up and it will heal in approximately ten to fourteen days, and I’ll call you with the results on Wednesday.”

Mickey nodded and then gulped as he took the script.

They said ‘goodbye’ and then Mickey changed back into his clothes and then headed out to his car. He was in shock and he was hoping that it would just be a virus.

He got into the car and then put the script on the passenger's seat before texting Ian saying ‘ _Just finished, coming home_ ’, and then starting the car and driving home.

When he got home he sat in the driver’s seat of the car for a moment and then took a deep breath and grabbed the script. He didn’t want to tell Ian what had happened and that there was something more serious potentially going on, but he didn’t want to lie either.

The moment he walked up to the door, he saw Ian.

Ian had apparently been waiting for him and he was leaning against the doorframe, “And?”

Mickey shook his head. “I have to go in for a biopsy.” His lip started to tremble ever so slightly.

Ian picked up on Mickey’s quivering lip and he pulled him into his arms. “Oh, Mick. Fuck. Did he say anything else?”

“No, but I’ve lost thirty pounds.”

Ian just held his husband closer and stroked his hair. “Oh, Mickey. We’ll figure this out.”

Mickey nodded, but he wasn’t entirely convinced that they would.

* * *

 

On Thursday afternoon, Mickey arrived at the local hospital and went to their outpatient center with Ian.

Ian had insisted that he was going to come because he knew that Mickey was fucking terrified, even if he wasn’t going to admit it.

As Mickey was prepped for the outpatient procedure, Ian sat in the waiting room flipping through a magazine and not even reading it. He felt like he was about to descend into what could potentially be a nightmare.

He kept trying to tell himself that he needed to be the strong one right now, because it wasn’t his body, it was his husband’s, but that made things worse. He loved Mickey with his entire being and he didn’t want Mickey to be severely sick. He crossed his fingers and hoped that everything was going to be alright.

* * *

 

Mickey stared at the ceiling as the surgeon, Dr. Hughs, numbed his neck. He was focusing his attention on attempting to count all the dots on the particular square of that weird almost styrofoam looking ceiling material. It wasn’t a comfortable procedure in the slightest, but it also wasn’t particularly painful, thanks to the local anesthetic. He refused to watch as Dr. Hughs removed the node and then prepared it properly to be sent to the lab. He was stitched up, bandaged, and then he got up from the table and thanked the doctor and left to find Ian.

* * *

 

When Ian saw Mickey he stood up immediately and hugged him, avoiding the left side of his husband’s neck the best that he could. “You okay?”

Mickey shook his head. “Been a lot better.”

“Let’s get you home and you can have some ice cream.”

Mickey shrugged and then they headed home.

* * *

 

The next few days Mickey tried to relax, as did Ian, but they couldn’t. Mickey took more time off at the funeral home and then he decided that he just needed to work the books for the time being. He returned to working the books on Saturday, after spending multiple days in bed sulking about how he might be fucked for life and not even know it.

Ian had told the kids that Daddy was sick and that he needed some time alone, and so they didn’t come in and see Mickey unless it was to kiss him and say that they would see him when they got home from school or when they would congregate as a family in the evenings and watch a movie.

This continued until Wednesday, when at 12:45 in the afternoon, the telephone rang.

Mickey had been sitting in the kitchen with Ian and so he raced to the phone and picked it up, setting it to speaker phone as Dr. Drew’s voice began to come out through the speaker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one is done.. I hope that this isn't too angsty.. I just really wanted to write angst for them. And look at that an arch starts at chapter 50... that was totally unplanned... seriously it was.


	51. The Trouble Starts Here P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp... this is tricky to give warnings for, because I don't want to give it away....
> 
> Warnings: medical stuff, lots of medical jargon, lots of crying, lots of angst, a few answers.

**_April 25 2029_ **

 

Ian knew that his husband was worried. Over the course of the past few days, Ian had witnessed signs of extreme distress and anxiety in his husband. For one thing, the fingernail chewing was at a record high and whenever Mickey was sitting, his foot was rapidly tapping. He just wanted answers to help put Mickey out of his misery.

Both habits started to emerge once more when Dr. Drew called, not even a nurse, but Dr. Drew himself, and so Ian pulled Mickey over and helped him sit on his lap. Normally Mickey hated it when Ian did this, but he was compliant, he sat down and then put the house phone on the table. The kids were at school and so the house was empty except for Molly and Kirk who were working in the funeral home downstairs.

Mickey held onto Ian’s hand and squeezed it tightly as they listened.

“Is this Mickey Milkovich?” Dr. Drew asked on the other end of the line.

Mickey nodded and then realized that Dr. Drew couldn’t know that he was nodding. “Yeah, it’s Mickey and I also have Ian on.”

“Wonderful.” He took a deep breath. “So, I need you to come into the office to go over the test results.”

Ian’s expression dropped a bit because he knew that Dr. Drew’s office always gave test results over the phone unless something was wrong. It wasn’t the case in all doctor’s offices, but for Dr. Drew’s it was abnormal.

Mickey gulped nervously, the swollen lymph node on his neck had grown a little bit and it bobbed slightly when he gulped. “O-okay. When should I come in?”

“I have an opening at one.”

Mickey nodded and then stuttered out an, “okay.”

They said goodbye and then Mickey hung up.

Ian held onto Mickey tightly. “Do you want me to go with you?”

Mickey was still in a state of shock, but he nodded. “Yeah. I think that that would be the best option.”

Ian nodded and then pressed a kiss to Mickey’s shoulder. “Then I’ll call Lip and get him to pick up the kids and then maybe give us the day off.”

Mickey nodded, stood up, and then went to get his shoes on. He was really quiet and Ian could feel his husband’s stress.

Ian called Lip, not giving away any details, but saying that something was happening with Mickey’s health and asking him to take the kids, to which Lip agreed to, and then he put his shoes on and they got into the car and headed off to the doctor’s office.

Mickey was quiet as they drove and Ian decided to just let him have his peace and quiet, not even turning on the radio. Ian knew that Mickey was stressed and that the stress wouldn’t go anyway until they got answers.

Ian parked the car, then him and Mickey got out of the car, and then went into the building.

They were immediately taken to one of the exam rooms and told that Dr. Drew would be in with them in a moment. Mickey and Ian then sat down and Ian held Mickey’s hand.

“It’ll be okay, babe. I’ll be here for you no matter what and we’ll figure out what we gotta do to  get you better if something is wrong.” Ian squeezed Mickey’s hand and then kissed Mickey’s cheek.

There was a knock on the door of the exam room and Ian said, “Come in.”

The door opened and then Dr. Drew entered the room and then sat on his stool. He didn’t look to upbeat and he looked a little solemn. “Hello, Mickey and Ian.” He forced a smile and then logged into the computer. He pulled up the test results and then looked at Mickey and Ian. “Alright, so your test results came back abnormal.”

Mickey had been holding his breath but then when he was told that there was a reason for being called in, he exhaled and almost relaxed. “What type of abnormal?” Mickey asked as he squeezed Ian’s hand.

Dr. Drew looked at them seriously. “This is the worst part of my job.” He then moved a box of tissues closer to Ian and Mickey. “According to the biopsy you have Nodular Sclerosis which is a subtype of classical Hodgkin Lymphoma.”

Ian’s face went pale and Mickey’s eyes went wide.

“I have what?” Mickey asked, concern lacing his voice.

Ian looked at Mickey and Mickey got scared. His husband’s face was as pale as a ghost as he said, “Mickey, you have cancer.”

Mickey stopped breathing for a moment when his husband said the word ‘cancer’, and his heart rate increased as his eyes filled with tears. “How? Why?”

Dr. Drew handed Mickey the tissue box, but Mickey was determined not to cry. “We don’t know why people get Hodgkins, but there might be a genetic marker in your genes. You don’t have HIV, but in very few cases of mono, there is some type of link with the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mono, and Hodgkin Lymphoma. In your case, I can tell you that we don't really know the cause.” He sighed and then continued. “However, we found out that your night sweats and weight loss are potentially from a different source since your weight loss was only at eight percent of your body weight and over the course of eight months, which means that you don't fit that criteria for type 'B'. It’s a good thing that it's not type 'B' as that would mean more aggressive treatment would be needed.”

Ian had already begun to cry and Mickey just squeezed his hand. “So, what exactly is this cancer?”

Dr. Drew shook his head. “I can’t really help you with that or treatment options as I don’t specialize in this. I’ve booked you an appointment with a special oncologist that specializes in hematology for tomorrow at ten A.M. He’s at the main hospital and his name is Dr. Matthews. Do you think that you can make it?”

Mickey nodded. “I’ll make it work.” His eyes were extremely watery and he was ready to cry.

Dr. Drew nodded. “I’ll give you two some time. Take as much time as you need, and I wish you all the best.” He left Mickey and Ian to spend some time together alone.

Mickey started to cry the moment that the doctor left.

Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.”

Mickey got up and then Ian got up and held him as Mickey cried. “Fuck, Ian, what am I going to do? I have a business to run, we... we... have fucking kids. What the fuck are we supposed to do? What if I die?”

Ian rubbed Mickey’s back. “Mickey, we’ll figure it out. I promise that we will.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek. “I promise.” His fingers carded through Mickey’s hair in an attempt to soothe him. “Hodgkins is treatable. He didn’t say that he thought that it was advanced, you don't have 'B' type and that’s good. We’ve only found swollen lymph nodes in your neck and we’ll get some more answers tomorrow.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek. “It’s really treatable. Even if it is advanced stage, it’s treatable the majority of the time. If it’s early stage, there’s a eighty to ninety percent chance that you will recover. It’s very very treatable with chemo.” He continued rubbing Mickey’s back. “We’ll work this all out and the doctor will tell us what we have to do to make sure that everything is alright.” He smoothed Mickey’s hair.

Mickey nodded and continued to cry. “Okay.” He picked his face up. “Can we go home? I just need to go home and have time with you... can we do that?”

“Of course, babe.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek again. “Of course. I’ll call Lip and tell him that he needs to take the kids for the rest of the night.” He rubbed Mickey’s back, trying to soothe him even the slightest bit, even though he knew that it wouldn’t do much considering the circumstances.

Mickey held Ian’s hand. “I just really want to leave.”

Ian nodded and then they left the doctor’s office.

Mickey sat in the car quietly. He was still in shock and Ian was trying his hardest not to break down in front of him. He knew that he needed to remain as strong as possible for Mickey, because Mickey had done that for him.

 

* * *

 

When they got home, Mickey silently went up to their room and closed the door. He got into bed and laid there in the dark, staring at the ceiling, as he cried. He didn’t want to miss out on his kids’ lives and he couldn’t even imagine the stress that he was putting Ian through right now. He just wanted to isolate himself from everybody and not have to worry about hurting the people he loved so much. Mickey knew that Ian would bend over backwards for him, but he also needed to make sure that Ian took care of himself and took his own meds. He couldn’t even think about his business for the time being, he had no idea how to manage a business, kids, his husband, and cancer. He couldn’t die, not when Tori was just about to turn ten and when Adam was about to turn six in a matter of months. He was only thirty four and just about to be thirty five in August. He didn’t know how to comprehend any of what had occurred over the past hour or so and he didn’t know what to do, so he laid there in bed staring at the ceiling until he crawled completely under the sheets and hid.

 

* * *

When they had gotten home and Mickey had made a beeline upstairs to go to the master bedroom, Ian didn’t follow him. He knew that his husband was needing some alone time to process his diagnosis and to think about things, so he sat in the kitchen, tears staining his face and picked up the phone and called Mandy.

When she picked up the phone, Ian could hear the muffled cries of Adam in the background and his heart shattered, because he knew that they were going to eventually have to tell their kids about why papa was sick. He couldn’t even imagine it, he didn’t want to either. He didn’t want to think of the families from the school bringing by their home cooked meals for them to eat because ‘oh, it’s such a pity that your husband has cancer’ and ‘oh, I’m so sorry that he’s terribly ill,’. Ian didn’t want to hear it, he just didn’t want to think about the love of his life being really sick.

“Ian? Ian! Ian!” Mandy shouted from the other end of the phone.

Ian jolted out of his thoughts. “H-hi, Mands. Listen I gotta talk to you about something?”

“Can it wait Ian? I’m currently trying to feed the kids snacks.”

Ian shook his head and then responded. “No, no it can’t wait.” His voice cracked a little.

“Ian, what’s wrong?” She asked, concern leaking through the speaker on his phone.

Ian sat down, and pressed his face to his hand. “Mandy, if I don’t talk to you right now, I’m gonna lose my shit. I need to talk to you.”

He could hear Mandy yell for Lip and then a moment later, the kids were settled down and Mandy and Lip went into their sitting room just off the kitchen, leaving Yev in charge, and closed the door and listened.

“Hey, E. What’s up?” Lip asked rather cheerfully.

It made Ian feel sick, the fact that they could be so cheerful and that they couldn’t sense that something was wrong with Mickey, but then Ian reminded himself that they weren’t mind readers. “Something really terrible just happened.”

Mandy’s voice rose on the other end and her voice became anxious. “Did you get in an accident? Are you okay? Is Mickey okay? What’s going on Ian, I need answers.”

Ian could almost envision Lip holding her hand and squeezing it trying to calm her down. He finally lost it, breaking down and sobbing. It took him a moment to collect himself and then he wiped his eyes and spoke again, “I’m fine, but Mickey’s not.”

“Ian? What’s wrong?” Mandy asked her anxiety was through the fucking roof and Ian could just hear it in her voice and it was the main reason he didn’t want to continue talking, but he knew that he had too.

He held back another sob. “Mickey- Mickey has cancer.”

There was complete silence on the phone and for a moment he thought that they had gotten disconnected.

“....holy shit.” Lip said softly.

Ian knew that his brother’s eyes were probably wide open with shock and he couldn’t even imagine what Mandy was like until she spoke again.

Her voice was sad and he knew that she was crying. “There’s no way. My brother does not have cancer. That’s fuckin’ impossible.”

Ian nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

“H-how did this happen?” His brother asked. Ian could hear his brother wrap his arm around Mandy.

“The other morning, I was lying in bed with him, and I had seen this swollen lymph node. I had thought nothing of it, but that morning it looked bigger, so, I told him to go to the doctor. The doctor was concerned because of the weight loss, and the night sweats and recommended a-” He sniffled again. “-Biopsy. They removed it and then they called us today and told us to come in. I felt like something was more wrong than just a cold or the flu, I just fucking knew it. When we went in everyone seemed kinda glum and then the doctor came in and told us.”

Mandy was quiet and Ian figured that she was in quite a bit of shock, but Lip continued with the questions.

“What else do you know? Is he going to see an oncologist? Please tell me you booked an appointment with one.”

Ian nodded and then ran his fingers through his hair and spoke into the receiver, “It’s Nodular Sclerosis which is a subtype of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It’s a cancer of the blood which affects the lymphatic system. We don’t know what stage he’s in, but he’s asymptomatic so he doesn't have a B classification, which is a good thing because that would require more aggressive treatment.” He pressed his fingers to his forehead. “Yes, we have an appointment with a Hematology-Oncology doctor tomorrow morning at ten and then there will be testing, and a lot of it to figure out what stage he is in. The doctor made it seem like we aren’t dealing with advanced, but we won’t know until we run all the tests.”

“Is there anything you need us to do?” His brother asked worriedly.

Ian sighed and pressed his fingers harder against his forehead. “Could you two take the kids for a few days? I need to make sure that I’m on top of my game with this and that I can really be there for him-”

“Of course we can, Ian. Whatever you guys need,” Lip responded cutting Ian off.

Ian nodded, “Thanks. It’s just going to be tricky, because he’s gonna have to get a PET/CT scan and he can’t be around children for twenty four hours because he’ll be too radioactive.” He leaned down further and pressed his forehead to the side of the table and closed his eyes. “I just really need to be there for him right now. He’s completely devastated and worried he’s gonna die, even though Hodgkin’s is very very treatable even when advanced.” Tears threatened to spill forth. “He’s just really upset.” He heard a loud thunk from upstairs and then got really nervous and scared. “I gotta go. I think he just fell. Just don’t tell the kids, please.”

He could hear Mandy’s cries over the phone as he started to run through the kitchen and to the stairs.

“We won’t, but tell him we all love him, and call if you need anything.” Lip said reassuringly.

Ian knew that Lip understood that he needed to go take care of his partner and so they both hung up.

Ian ran up the steps and then ran to the master bedroom.

Mickey was back in bed by the time that Ian arrived, and completely under the sheets.

Ian sat on the edge of the bed and then laid down next to Mickey.

Mickey lifted up the sheets and allowed Ian to slide under.

“Ian-” Mickey’s voice was rough from crying. “Ian, I need you.”

Ian nodded and then pulled Mickey into his arms and just held onto him for dear life. “I’m here, babe. I’ll always be here when you need me.”

“Ian-” He buried his face into Ian’s shoulder, not able to see due to being completely under the sheets with him in the dark. “I’m scared.”

Ian nodded and stroked Mickey’s hair as he held onto him. “I know.” He pressed a kissed to Mickey’s forehead before they both fell asleep holding onto each other like they were each other's life raft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, cat's out of the bag now. Mickey has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I've done some VERY extensive research (approx. 10 hours) about this condition and different stages. Originally I was planning him to be a IB and then a IIB and then I realized that IIA was a middle ground. I've already put together extensive lists and schedules and information about his care that I will probably release as bonus material at the end of the arch (I literally spent about 4 hours in addition to research mapping out a treatment and schedule that I think is pretty realistic based on different papers, articles, and videos). I hope that it's as accurate as I think it is and if not I might go back and make some edits. This whole journey is going to be a bumpy as fuck ride for them, but if there's one thing I will promise at this point, it's that there will be NO death (well I mean he works in a funeral home so kinda but Mickey won't die). 
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: I changed the original diagnosis (which originally included night sweats and the rapid weight loss.) Now, the weight loss was due to not having much of an appetite and over working. Night sweats are due to stress and nightmares. Thus he does not have 'B' type.


	52. The Trouble Starts Here P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: cancer, chemo talk, medical jargon, very angsty, and pretty sad.

**_April 26th 2029_ **

 

Mickey and Ian didn’t wake up until the morning.

Ian was the first up, he checked the clock which said seven thirty, and so he just laid there in bed with his husband’s head resting against his chest, his fingers carding through his hair, giving himself thirty minutes before waking his husband up.

He sighed when he remembered what was in store for the day and what had occurred the previous day.

He was glad that he had been an EMT because he knew all the medical jargon and how to run medicine protocols pretty well, which meant that homecare would be more than possible for them, even though he knew most people in the early stages of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma did not end up in the hospital for care. 

He knew that Mickey wasn’t going to want the doctors sugar-coating and not talking to him straight, so being able to translate and also de-sugar-coat things would be a major help.

Ian’s fingers ran through Mickey’s soft black hair and he held a breath for a moment because he knew that it would fall out with chemo. He knew that the main type of chemo used to treat Hodgkin's would yield complete hair loss in most patients. He wasn’t worried about what Mickey was going to look like, Mickey could dress in a bright orange cellophane table cloth and still look decent or even great, but he was worried about Mickey’s reaction to the loss, and what the kids would say. 

He tried not to think of the kids who were currently spending the next few days at Lip and Mandy’s. He couldn’t think of them without his heart dropping to his feet. Ian had no idea how to tell them that their papa had cancer and that he was going to have to do chemo.

Ian just continued to lie there until the alarm clock read ‘8:00 A.M.’, and then he kissed Mickey’s forehead, “Babe, we gotta get you up and ready so that we can get you to the doctors on time.”

Mickey groaned and his eyelids fluttered open slowly, “I don’t want to go.”

“Mickey, we’re going. This appointment is important and you’re going whether you like it or not, even if I have to drag the bed out of the house.”

Mickey groaned and then sat up, his hair was sticking up everywhere and he looked really tired and emotionally distressed. “Let me go take a shower first.”

Ian nodded and then Mickey went off to the bathroom to shower and shave as Ian prepared a hospital bag with this to do to occupy themselves if they needed to wait to see the doctor. 

Mickey finished up his shower pretty quick, then Ian got ready, and then they left.

* * *

 

Mickey was quiet in the car again for the whole trip, but when they reached the hospital, Ian could tell that he was really upset.

Ian gripped Mickey’s hand as they got into the elevator. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get things sorted out.”

Mickey nodded and sighed before hitting the button that said ‘Oncology floor 8’. “I’m going to invite Richardson back. He offered to take off retirement if we ever needed help, and I think now is a good time. He knows the space and it’ll be for a short time, I mean there really is no one better than the former owner.

“I think that that might be the best option considering the fact that this is going to be very tiring for you.” He let go of Mickey’s hand and then put his hand on the small of his husband’s back. “We’ll make it work. It’s not gonna be easy, but we can do it. You can do it.”

Mickey nodded as they reached the oncology floor. “Here we go,” He muttered nervously.

Ian nodded and rubbed Mickey’s back. “Here we go.”

* * *

 

They didn’t get into the exam room for another thirty minutes, when they did finally get in a room, a nurse took Mickey’s vitals, asked questions, and then handed Mickey a paper gown.

Mickey waited to change until the nurse was gone, then he changed out of his clothes and into the new paper gown and sat on the exam table. 

Ian held Mickey’s hand. “We’re gonna get some answers and come up with a plan.”

Mickey nodded and squeezed Ian’s hand. “I know.”

They sat in silence until there was a knock at the door to which Ian responded with a, “Come in.”

A mid sized, gray haired doctor came into the room. He smiled softly, trying to look reassuring. He extended his hand to Mickey. “Hello, I’m Dr. Matthews.”

Mickey forced a soft smile. “Hello. I’m Mickey, and this my husband, Ian.” He gestured to Ian.

Dr. Matthews shook Ian’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Ian. I wish it was over better terms.” He sat down on his rolling stool and then logged into the computer. Looking at the test results again saying, “alrighty.” He swiveled around and then pulled out a notepad. “I’m going to take some notes while we talk so that I can give you a little plan in terms of what the schedule is going to look like.” He then put on a more serious face. “You have Nodular Sclerosis which is a subtype of classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.” He put the note pad on the table and wrote down ‘NSHL’ at the top of it. “It’s a blood cancer that affects the lymphocytes and affects the lymphatic system. NSHL is means that when the lymph node that was removed was dissected there was a lot of scar tissue which is where the term ‘sclerosis’ comes comes from, and ‘nodular’ because it’s knotty tissue. Through the biopsy, we found Reed-Sternberg cells which are abnormal cells caused by Hodgkin’s Lymphoma along with normal white blood cells also known as lymphocytes.” He wrote down the notes. “Any questions so far?”

Mickey shook his head.

“NSHL accounts for about sixty to eighty percent of all Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cases and it affects women a little bit more than men. It is very curable, especially when it’s caught early and treated appropriately. You do not have bulky NSHL which is what ‘B’ stage would entail, rather you have ‘A’ stage even though some of your symptoms were originally thought to be ‘B’ markers. Having ‘A’ type means that treatment will be aggressive, but not as aggressive as if you had ‘B’ type. So, you have asymptomatic NSHL otherwise know as favorable NSHL. The chemotherapy that we use to treat NSHL is called ABVD. ABVD is actually four drugs, and you’ll get all of them on day one and fifteen of a twenty eight day chemo cycle. You’ll be getting chemo twice in one chemo cycle or twenty eight days with the first of the next cycle on the twenty eighth day which is also the first day of the next cycle. Depending on your staging, radiation may or may not be involved. Onto the next few things that we need to consider before chemo that will not alter with staging. You have the option to either get IVs put into the vein of your hand, or you have the option to get a port.”

“Port?” Mickey asked. “ I don’t understand.” He felt a little overwhelmed from the information that was being thrown at him.

Dr. Matthews nodded. “A port is a little disc that we would embed in your chest so that you have free hands while undergoing chemo. I prefer recommending a port-a-cath if you choose to get a port as it’s a central line, it’s not super tricky to care of, and it’s the least likely port to have problems. The other nice thing about the port-a-cath is that it is under the skin and self sealing so you can remove the lumens, where the medication goes in, so that they aren’t dangling constantly from your chest constantly and there will just be a bump under the skin.”

“I think that that is probably my best bet. We have kids, not super young, but I just don’t want to have tubes everywhere.” 

Dr. Matthews nodded, “We will need to place it before chemotherapy preferably. I’m going to book you in tomorrow for a PET/CT scan, a lung function test, port-a-cath placement starting at 8 o’clock if that works for you. You’ll start with the lung function test at 8 and that will be about 10 minutes, the port nurse will find you in the waiting room and use local anesthetic to put in the catheter in, then the port will go in, you’ll be stitched up, and then you’ll be taught how to flush it and take care of it. At about 11 o’clock they will bring you down for your PET/CT scan. The PET/CT scan will render you radioactive for twenty four hours, with the majority being reduced by six, but do not have contact with children or pregnant as it will affect them more easily since they are more easily susceptible, fetal tissue especially. A radio technician will push a radiotracer into your body, it will be sugar since cancer craves energy and glucose is what they like, and the radiotracer will then be visible from the scans, it will light up all areas that have been affected by the disease. The port will not be accessed during the scan as the radiotracer can get stuck in it and yield false spots. It will not be painful, but it’s tedious and you’ll have to stay very still. Results will be in by Wednesday and I will personally call you whether it’s good news or bad, but due to the fact that chemo is the first thing to do anyways, I would recommend starting the first cycle next Friday.”

Mickey nodded and Ian squeezed his hand. “Yeah, the sooner the better. What will that consist of?”

“It will take several hours and it will be relatively painless. The movies tend to make chemo look extremely painful, but it’s not when it’s occurring. They’re going to check to see if you are allergic to one of the chemo drugs, it’s rare, but it does happen, and then more likely than not it will be ABVD which is a combination of four different chemotherapy drugs. Any of the chemotherapy types that we will be using will cause: hair loss, in the majority of cases; nausea, often moderate, but I will prescribe anti-nausea medication, there is the potential for: sore mouth; dry mouth; taste changing temporarily; and aches and pains. Another good thing to do is to eat before a chemo session, then you’ll come in and I’ll see you at the start of every cycle and then you’ll be checked and you’ll get blood taken from the port, we’ll check your blood counts and if everything looks good, you can have chemo for the day. We have a chemo unit down at the other end of the wing and the nurses are wonderful. We ask that you don’t bring small children to chemo since immune systems are compromised and small children can pick up a lot of viruses and germs that we can’t have. Older children are fine.” He gestured towards Ian. “Your husband could be there with you for your sessions, or anyone else. We typically recommend not going to chemo alone. Would you and your husband ever want more children?”

Mickey shook his head. “I wouldn’t be the biological dad and we don’t plan to have more kids. So fertility stuff is not needed.”

The doctor nodded. “So, we’ll find out Wednesday what stage he’s in and I can schedule you in for chemo on Friday at nine in the morning if that works for you.”

Ian nodded, all he cared about was getting his husband healthy. “That works for us.”

The doctor did a quick yet thorough examination and then handed them a bunch of pamphlets and Mickey held them in his hand. The pamphlets that were in his hands contained information about all the procedures, medications, facts about his condition, and how to cope with telling your family. He gave a written schedule for all the appointments and also a written prescription copy of an electronic prescription for Ondansetron which was the anti-nausea medication that they would try first. 

“Any more questions?”

Mickey shook his head and then they said their goodbyes and Ian took the notes from Dr. Matthews.

In the elevator they started talking. Ian’s hand was pressed against Mickey’s lower spine. “He seemed hopeful and he wasn’t sugar coating it too.” He pressed a kiss to Mickey’s head.

“Yeah. At least I don’t have to wait very long to start chemo and start getting all this over with.” He started to feel nervous and very tired. “I just want to get home and lie down.” 

Ian rubbed Mickey’s back. “We’ll get home soon and then we can relax. Maybe a nap is in order for you.” His hand moved up Mickey’s back and then ended up just holding his hand.

* * *

 

When they reached the car, Mickey got in the passenger's seat and managed to fall asleep within moments. It was only a fifteen minute drive and so when they got back to the house, Ian carried Mickey inside, bringing him upstairs and then tucking him in for a nap. 

* * *

 

When Ian went downstairs he read over all the pamphlets and found out Mickey couldn’t eat seven hours prior to the scan, which would make Mickey fairly grumpy, but it was necessary. He read through all the information of the chemo that Mickey was going to receive and then he looked over the radiation pamphlet. He was hoping that Mickey wouldn’t need radiation as it was risky. He didn’t want Mickey to get sick again and so he would do anything they could to try to prevent it.

Around five o’clock, he heard the doorbell ringing over and over again. He got out of his reading and planning trance and then went to the front door.

He opened the door and found Lip with a large pan. “Hey, Ian. Mandy made extra dinner and we thought that you and Mick might want some. It’s lasagna. Fi’s recipe.”

Ian smiled softly and then took the pan from Lip. “Thanks, yeah, I didn’t start dinner. Want to come in for a root beer?” Ian offered.

“Sure.” Lip entered the house and then went to the kitchen with Ian. “How was the appointment?” Lip asked as he went to the fridge and pulled out two root beers and sat at the table. 

Ian put the lasagna on the stove and then sat down. “It’s type ‘A’ and so that’s good, but tomorrow he goes in for a bunch of testing and to get a port implanted into his chest. He has to get this scan tomorrow and after he’s gonna be radioactive. He’s probably going to be in a lot of pain too.”

“A port implanted into his chest? Fuck.”

Ian nodded. “They’re gonna do it in the oncology ward tomorrow and then next Friday, he’s going in for his first session of chemo.”

Lip’s jaw dropped a little, “fuck.”

“Yeah. They’re getting him in early because it’s a blood cancer and staging it is really important. Someone also cancelled tomorrow and so there was a slot open and we said that we would take it. We’ll find out what stage he has on Wednesday.”

“What’s he doing now?” Lip asked still in shock from the fact that his brother in law had cancer and would be starting chemo in almost a week. 

Ian sipped on his root beer. “He’s napping. He’s been doing that a lot lately, and it will only increase over time since he’s not going to have much energy while on chemo. It’s going to be even more of an energy drain.”

“What about the business?”

Ian sighed and then he grabbed an orange from the bowl on the kitchen table and started to peel it. “Well, he’s going to work the books for awhile and Richardson is going to come back and help out. Mickey’s not going to be able to be working like he normally does and he also just needs time for himself too. I’m worried about him.”

Lip rubbed Ian’s back and nodded, “I know, but he’s Mickey Milkovich and he’ll figure this out, just like everything else. He’s gonna put forth the effort and really try to make sure that he is there for you and the kids.”

Ian heard a loud cry from upstairs and quickly got up. “Listen, Lip, I gotta go. I think he’s having another emotional breakdown. He’s really upset.” He then hugged Lip and started to head upstairs. “Thanks for watching the kids. You’re amazing.”

Lip shrugged and shook his head before saying he would text Ian later.

When Lip had gone, Ian ran upstairs and found Mickey under the sheets crying. 

He sat on the edge of the bed and started to rub Mickey’s back. “It’s alright.” He repeated over and over again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took awhile. Two days ago I was very nearly in what would have been a horrendous car accident (someone was texting and ran and red light and was 6 inches away from hitting my car at 40 miles per hour (10 over the limit) and I was really shaken up. And yesterday night, I found out that my great aunt, who is also my godmother, is going to die of brain cancer very very soon (1st relapse and it's in both hemispheres of her brain and really deep) , so I ended up taking yesterday night off because me and my mom were quite upset (my grandma will live out her parents, and both younger sisters... so sad). It's just been a whirl wind with college and a trip to the UK coming up.   
> Hopefully there will be another installment soon!


	53. Tenth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we interrupt scheduled programing (The Trouble Starts Here) for a fluff piece.
> 
>  
> 
> Gallavich_Queen_Vikki: How about an anniversary or holiday one shot with a whole bunch of adorableness which shouldn't be that hard for you hahaha. I love this fic. I just started it yesterday and I'm already caught up. Sorry my idea is kinda vague lol

 

**_December 1st 2024_ **

 

Mickey bit his lip, holding back a smile as he entered the room with a tray of pancakes, coffee, sausage, and fruit. He set it down on the bedside table and smiled before kissing his husband’s forehead.

Ian’s eyes slowly opened and he looked up at Mick. “Good morning, Mickey.”

“Morning.” He kissed Ian’s lips and then revealed the tray. “I made us breakfast in bed. Happy 10th Anniversary, babe.”

Ian smiled brightly. “Oh, Mickey, you’re fuckin’ amazing, you know that right.” He pulled Mickey into another kiss. “This is amazing, babe.”

Mickey smiled and then put the tray on the bed and then crawled in. “I thought of the idea last night and I thought that it would be really nice for us.”

Ian nodded and then pulled Mickey close. “Where the fuck has the time gone? We’ve been married for ten years.” He laced his fingers between his husband’s and smiled.

“I don’t get it either. It’s been ten years and it feels like ten months. That must be what happens when you’re married to your best friend.” He smiled and kissed Ian’s cheek.

Ian smiled and then kissed Mickey’s forehead. “I think it is, and I feel the same. I love you.”

“I love you too.” He then looked at the food. “I want to eat.”

Ian chuckled and nodded. “Alright.” He cut up the pancakes and then stabbed a section with his fork before offering it to Mickey. “For you.”

Mickey chuckled and then opened his mouth and let Ian feed him one bite before taking his own fork and starting to eat on his own. “I got Fi to watch the kids today, so we’re on our own. What do you want to do?”

“Just have time with you. Nothing too special, I just want to lie around, cuddle, maybe have some good anniversary sex,” Ian suggested before taking a bit of the pancakes.

Mickey nodded and smiled. “I like that idea. It’s supposed to be super cold today anyways, so the fact that we won’t go out is good.”

“I never said we wouldn’t go out. I booked us a nice dinner in town, but if you don’t want to go, we don’t have to.”

Mickey shook his head. “I would like to go.” He finished eating and then Ian finished off the pancakes. 

Mickey grabbed both coffee cups and then Ian moved the tray to the bedside table before stretching his arm out to the side and then smiled. “Come here?” 

Mickey nodded and laid next to Ian letting his husband hold him close. Mickey handed over Ian’s coffee and then turned the television on. 

They cuddled for the next several hours until around five o’clock when they went to the restaurant.

It was a local family run pizza place that Ian and Mickey loved but rarely went to. 

As they finished eating their pizza, Ian smiled and then pulled a box out from under the table. “I, uh, bought you something.”

Mickey blushed and nodded. “So did I.” He pulled out a medium sized box. 

They both slid their gifts to the other and then opened them at the same time. 

Ian opened his box and found a really nice antique typewriter. “Fuck, Mick, this is amazing! How did you know that I wanted a typewriter?”

“You mentioned it randomly a few weeks ago and I saw this one and thought that it was really cool and it’s fully functional,” Mickey said with a bright smile. “I’m glad that you like it.”

Ian shook his head and wrapped his arms around Mickey’s neck and then kissed his cheek. “I don’t like it, I love it. Thank you so much!” He then kissed his cheek again. “You gotta open your gift now. It’s kinda weird, but I also bought us a lot of sex toys. You can return it if you don’t like it.”

Mickey finished opening his gift and smiled as he held the antique embalming pump. “This is incredible!” He beamed happily as he looked it over. “It’s in amazing condition.”

“I’m glad that you like it. I see that we were on the same brain wave with the antiques.”

Mickey chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I mean that’s what happens when you watch _Antiques Roadshow_ with your husband at least three nights out of the week and you consistently talk about wanting to start a collection of oddities.” He put the embalming pump back into the box and then smiled. “But really, I can’t believe that you even thought of that. It’s incredible and I will put it in my office on the shelf near my desk.”

Ian smiled and then ruffled Mickey’s hair. “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll put my typewriter on my desk in my office.” 

“So, sex toys too, huh?” He asked excitedly.

Ian nodded and then smirked. “Yeah. I bought us a big selection of new things to try out. I also got us some really nice candles for wax play and a few new paddles.”

Mickey bit his lip and then smiled. “That sounds awesome.”

Ian nodded as the bill was delivered. He paid for the meal and then they got up from their table and headed home.

 

After a long night of sexual adventures, Mickey curled up next to Ian with his head rested on his husband’s chest, holding his hand. “I love you so much, Ian. I know it’s hard to be married to me sometimes but I really do love you.”

“It’s not hard to be married to you. I love you so much, that I would go to hell and back thousands of times just to have you come home to me at night after work.” His fingers carded through Mickey’s hair. The soft black strands threading through his fingers. He smiled at Mickey and then kissed the top of his head. “You’re so beautiful. You know that right?”

Mickey blushed and shook his head. “Not true.”

“Is so. I get to call you beautiful if I want to, and anyways it’s true.”

Mickey kissed Ian’s chest and then cuddled in closer. He yawned. “I gotta get some rest, baby.”

“Alright, Mick. I love you. Good night.” Ian said as he kissed Mickey’s forehead and then turned the light off. He held Mickey close and then drifted off a few moments after his husband did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. I started this piece a year ago today and someone asked me to write an anniversary piece and I thought 'well why don't I write an anniversary piece for the anniversary of this fic'. So here it is. It's a little short, but I really wanted to get it posted for you guys. 
> 
> A few thank yous are due.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story for the past year, especially those who have been there since the beginning. Thank you to the people who comment, because you guys keep me motivated and you guys really do make my day. Thank you to the new readers who tell me that they have binge read this piece. Thank you to all the people that have liked it, bookmarked it, commented on it, suggested ideas for chapters, and loved it. You all mean the world to me and I'm so happy that people other than myself enjoy this piece.  
> Until next time! :)


	54. The Trouble Starts Here P4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
> 
> Medical stuff  
> Blood mention  
> Medical procedures  
> VERY VERY LONG  
> Probably has to be edited but I don't have a beta reader unfortunately so there will be typos for now.

**_April 27 2029_ **

 

Ian woke up Mickey around six o’clock on Friday morning. “Baby, you gotta get up so we can get you ready for the day.” He rubbed Mickey’s back and then kissed his cheek. “Honey, we gotta start getting ready.”

Mickey groaned and then opened his eyes slowly. “I’m exhausted.” He yawned and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I know, but you have a long day and we gotta get moving.” He kissed Mickey’s forehead and then stroked his hair for a brief minute. “Let’s get you into some clean pajamas and then we’ll head out.” He smiled and kissed Mickey’s forehead again.

Mickey watched as Ian got up and then went to the dresser to get fresh pajamas for him to wear to the hospital. “Why?”

Ian shrugged and then pulled out soft black pants and one of Ian’s gray tee shirts. “They recommend wearing something comfy when you go in for the scan. They’ll probably make you take off your shirt and put on a gown, but still it’s good to be comfortable.” He brought the pajamas over and then rubbed Mickey’s back. “Alright, let’s get you up.”

Mickey sat up and then changed out of his old pajamas before putting the clean ones on. “Let’s go?”

Ian nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.” He took Mickey’s hand and then led him to the car.

They got into the car and then Mickey watched as Ian drove.

“So are you going to come in with me?”

Ian shrugged and then turned left. “If I can, I will, but it depends. I’m not going to be allowed inside for the PET/CT scan as there’s radiation, but I might be able to be there for your port placement.”

Mickey nodded and then pulled out his phone. “I miss the kids. I miss them all.” He flipped through photos of the kids on his phone. “I don’t think I can face them and tell them about this.”

Ian nodded. “I understand, but we have to do it. They’ll notice that you’re not feeling good.” He turned again. “Do you want them to come home on Sunday? Maybe we can take them to the park or something... Maybe that would be nice for all of us? We could get you outside for a little bit and have some family time. Does that sound okay?”

Mickey nodded. “I would like that, but can we not tell them about the cancer until Wednesday, just when we have clearer answers?”

“Of course. I just want to tell them before you really start to feel the effects of the chemo. I don’t want them to be scared because they don’t know why things are happening. I would rather have them be frightened of the truth then the unknown because then we can get them in to see a therapist or a counselor at school if we need to, but I want to do what makes you the most comfortable.”

Mickey nodded and then put his phone in his pocket, he was really hungry, but he knew that he couldn’t eat or drink anything. “I think that that’s a good plan. I want them to know as early as we have a complete diagnosis and stage.” He took a deep breath and then pressed the side of his head against the window. “I still can’t wrap my head around all this and that I’m starting chemo in a week.”

Ian nodded and then got on the main road. “I can’t either, but it’s reality and we’re going to have to deal with it.”

They both stayed quiet for the rest of the car ride until finally they reached the hospital.

Ian parked the car and then Mickey got out, waiting for Ian, and then holding his hand as they walked to the hospital.

“We gotta go up to the Oncology ward to meet the nurse who’s going to run the testing.” Mickey pointed out as they entered the hospital and then headed towards the elevator.

Ian nodded as they entered the elevator. “Yep.” He rested his hand on the small of Mickey’s back and then rubbed his back. “Surprised that you remembered that.” He hit the button for the eighth floor. “You didn’t eat anything right?”

Mickey shook his head. “I mean you’ve been with me all morning and did it look like I ate anything?”

Ian chuckled. “I guess not.”

They reached the eighth floor and then checked in before sitting down in the waiting room.

It was only a few moments before a nurse in blue scrubs, with her blonde hair tied up stood at the door. “Mikhalio Milkovich?”

Mickey nodded and then got up with Ian and approached the nurse.

She then smiled and led them to the back of the Oncology ward to a little exam room. “Full name and DOB?”

“Mikhailo Aleksander Milkovich. August 10th 1994.” Mickey said as he sat down in the blood draw chair, knowing that he was going to get his blood drawn.

The nurse smiled and then gestured for Ian to sit down in a chair, which Ian did. “Alright, that’s great. I have the right person then.” She smiled and then extended her hand to Mickey. “I’m Amy and I’m going to be your nurse for the day.”

Mickey shook her hand and then Ian did saying, “I’m his husband, my name is Ian.”

She smiled and nodded. “Wonderful. How long have you two been married?” Amy asked as she started to take out her blood draw supplies.

Ian smiled and looked at Mickey happily. “Fifteen years. We got married when he was twenty and I was eighteen.” He held Mickey’s free hand and stroked the back of his hand.

“That’s awesome.” Amy moved Mickey’s arm so that he crease of his elbow was open. She tied his arm with the tourniquet and then began to swab the skin as she held the needle with one hand. “Do you guys have kids?”

Mickey chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, we have three and my little sister.”

Amy smiled as she put the needle in and started taking his blood. “What ages?”

“Our oldest son is fourteen, then our daughter is nine going on ten in June, and our youngest son is five going on six in August.” Mickey looked at the wall in order to not watch his blood being drawn.

Amy smiled and then finished taking his blood. She then bandaged his arm and then handed over a urine cup. “I need a sample and then meet us back in here so that I can take you back for the lung test and then port placement.”

Mickey nodded and left the room to go to the restroom.

The nurse then took the blood samples out of the room and took them down the hall to their oncology lab. She then returned a moment later and found Mickey and Ian sitting there. “Alright, I’m going to take you back for your lung function test.”

Mickey nodded and then him and Ian followed her to the back of the oncology floor. He was led to a room with a bizarre looking machine and he was told to breath into a tub the hardest he could after taking a deep breath. He did this multiple times, blowing into the tube until he felt like he couldn’t keep going, but he still kept going.

“Alright, you did a really good job, Mickey.” Amy said as she helped him up, knowing that he probably felt a little ill from the test. “I’m going to take you back to the exam room and then I’m going to take your husband back to the waiting room.”

Mickey nodded and then squeezed Ian’s hand. “Wait for me?”

Ian nodded and pressed a kiss to Mickey’s forehead. “Of course, babe. Why wouldn’t I?” He then stroked Mickey’s hair for a moment before kissing his forehead again. “I’ll see you in a little bit. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Mickey was then led down the hall to another room, this room looked more like a little operating room.

Amy went over to a little machine and then grabbed a handful of electrodes that were stuck to plastic. “I have to run an EKG which just means that I’m going to put little electrodes on your chest and limbs and record the electroactivity of your heart for a little bit. I’m going to give you some tasks, but I’m going to need you to not talk when the testing is underway. I’m also going to need you to remove your shirt.”

Mickey nodded and sat on the exam table before taking off his shirt.

Amy fold his shirt and then put it on one of the tables in the room. “I need you to lie down like normal and then I’ll prep the test.” She smiled and then prepped the machine.

Mickey laid back and then watched as she placed the electrodes on his body. “Fuck, they’re really cold.”

“Sorry, I totally forgot to warn you about that. They are quite cold.” She connected the leads and then went to the machine.

After many tasks including holding his breath, and taking deep breaths and a few moments later she smiled. “The test is complete, but we leave the EKG on while you're receiving the procedure

Mickey laid still as Amy propped his head up with a folded towel. “Is this thing going to hurt?”

Amy shook her head and then rolled over an I.V. pole. “I’m going to give you an IV and give you some medication that will make you feel a little tired, but you will still be conscious. Then the doctor will give you two local anesthetics, one in your neck and another in your chest and then nothing will hurt.” She smiled and then slipped an I.V. into the back of Mickey’s hand easily.

The door to the room opened and a doctor walked in. She was smiling. “Hello, I’m Doctor Porter and I’ll be putting in your port.” She shook Mickey’s hand and then checked over his EKG. “Everything seems to be looking really good. I’m going to ultrasound your chest and neck to make sure that your veins are open.”

Mickey nodded and then watched as the red haired doctor squirted ultrasound gel onto his chest and neck.

Amy rolled over the ultrasound and then Dr. Porter started to look at the screen.

It took a few moments before Dr. Porter smiled and nodded. “Alright, they’re all open and so we can proceed. Now, can I please have your name and date of birth and allergies?”

“Mikhailo Aleksander Milkovich. Date of birth August 10th 1994. No allergies” Mickey looked up at the ceiling and tried to relax.

Dr. Porter nodded and then smiled. “All good.” She then handed him a clipboard. “Please sign here.” She pointed to the spot and handed him a pen.

Mickey signed and then they went over the procedure and before long he was sedated a little bit and numbed up.

Amy held his hand throughout the procedure, talking to him softly, and reassuring him. “It’s almost over,” She said as Dr. Porter slipped in the catheter and then checked the placement. “Just a few more minutes.” She squeezed Mickey’s hand and then stroked Mickey’s hair.

Mickey would have normally punched her in the face, but he didn’t since he was pretty out of it.

A few moments later Amy squeezed his hand. “All done. I’m going to let you lie here for a little bit and then I’ll take you back to recovery for a little bit.”

Mickey nodded and then fell asleep.

Mickey woke up to pain in his chest twenty minutes later. He heard whining and then realized that it was himself. He opened his eyes and then looked up at the ceiling.

“Mickey, babe, I’m here.” Ian sat next to him and holding his hand. “They said it went really well and that we can take you downstairs for the next test soon and then I’ll take you home.”

Mickey nodded and then tried to touch his chest.

“No, baby, you can’t touch that.” Ian said as he held onto Mickey’s hand. “No touching. We can’t touch it because it’ll get infected.”

Mickey nodded as he woke up more. “It hurts.”

Ian nodded and kissed Mickey’s cheek. “I know. They gave you a little bit of medication and they’ll give you more after you have your PET/CT scan.” He then stroked Mickey’s hair. “I’m so proud of you, Mick.”

Mickey let out a whine as his chest throbbed with pain. “I wanna go home.”

“I know, babe. I know that it hurts and that you want to go home. I promise that we can go home soon.” He kissed the back of Mickey’s hand and then stroked his hair. “You’re doing so well. I’m so proud of you, babe.”

Mickey felt himself climb out of the anesthesia even more. “I need to take a piss.”

Ian chuckled and nodded. “The nurse said that I could help you go to the restroom when you were ready.” He stood up and held out his hands. “Grab on and I’ll help you up.”

Mickey took Ian’s hands and then was pulled to his feet. He held onto Ian’s hand as he walked since he was a little woozy from the anesthetic.

When they got to the bathroom, Mickey stood by the toilet and then held onto the support bar on the side and Ian turned his back to give his husband a little bit of privacy.

Mickey did his business and then washed his hands. “I’m done. I need to lie down.”

“Let’s get you back in the room.” He kissed Mickey’s forehead and then helped him back to the room and then into bed.

 

After another hour Mickey was taken down to radiology and was injected with the radiotracer. He then laid there for an hour, alone and still.

Mickey laid on the PET/CT scan table and stared at the ceiling as he listened to the random radio selections being played through a special radio in the room. He was completely ready to go home and go lie in bed with Ian and forget everything, but he knew that the pain in his chest would prevent him from doing so. He knew that Ian had received a message from Fiona about dinner, they hadn’t told her about what was going on yet, but she routinely made extra food and brought it over. Mickey knew that she wouldn’t be able to stay long and so he was okay with her coming over. For the most part he didn’t want visitors or anyone other than the kids and Ian at the house for the moment.

As he looked at the ceiling, he reflected on his life, how tired he was, how he didn’t want to go through chemo, and how he really just wanted to be at home and not sick with the kids and Ian in their bed watching a movie.

After an hour Mickey was finally pushed into the machine and then he had to lie still for thirty minutes as his body was scanned.

Ian sat in the waiting room going over the aftercare regimen for the port. He decided on a schedule for the night: first, driving home; second, getting Mickey into bed and comfortable; third, seeing Fiona and getting food and talking about Mickey’s diagnosis; fourth, bringing the food up to Mickey and getting him to eat; fifth, giving Mickey a very gentle wash cloth bath in bed and getting him in different pajamas; and lastly, relaxing until they fell asleep.

It was only a few minutes more until Mickey was wheeled out of the radiology department in a wheelchair by Amy.

Mickey waved lazily and then yawned. “Apparently I have to eat crackers to leave.”

Amy chuckled and nodded. “We just gotta make sure everything is going right.” She then locked the wheelchair next to Ian’s seat. “I’ll be right back with some crackers.”

“You feelin’ okay, baby?” Ian asked as he smoothed Mickey’s hair.

Mickey nodded and then scratched his cheek with his bandaged hand. “I feel okay, but I’m not super stable on my legs right now. It hurts to move my arms.”

Ian nodded and then brushed Mickey’s hair out of his face. “I know, but I’ll make sure that you’re okay tonight. Fi made extra food and so I’ll get you all settled upstairs and then bring up a little food. We’ll have the most relaxing and nice night we can.”

Amy came back and handed Mickey a packet of crackers. “When you finish those, you can leave. Dr. Matthews will give you a call Wednesday with all your results and all the final plans for your treatment. I will see you on Friday before chemotherapy though.” She then rested her hand on Mickey’s shoulder. “Take some time for yourself this weekend and relax as much as you can.” She smiled and then they said goodbye.

  


When they got home, Ian helped Mickey upstairs and then to bed before going downstairs.

Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, there was a knock on the door and he went to go answer it.

Fiona was standing there, her hair wet from the rain which had apparently just started, holding a container of pasta. “Hi, Ian,” she said joyfully. As she stepped into the house.

Ian forced a smile and took the container.

“Is everything alright, E?” She asked as she gave him a concerned look.

Ian shook his head and then lead her into the kitchen. “No, everything's not alright.” Ian put the container of pasta on the counter.

Fiona immediately hugged her brother tightly. “What’s wrong, Ian? Did Mickey hurt you?”

Ian broke the hug and looked at her with tear filled eyes. “Why do you always fucking jump to ‘Did Mickey hurt you’? Mickey would never fucking hurt me! Mickey’s fucking hurt! Mickey has fucking cancer!” He yelled, finally admitted to himself that his partner was really sick and that he was terrified.

Fiona’s face went as white as a sheet. “That’s not something you should joke about, Ian.”

“I’m serious.” Ian said as his lip trembled. He sunk to his knees as he started to cry, the heels of his hands pressed into his eye sockets. “I’m fucking serious. He has fucking cancer.”

Fiona sunk to her knees and wrapped her arms around her younger brother and held him close. “Fuck I’m so sorry.” She stroked his hair. “I’m so fucking sorry.” She held him tightly.

“He was diagnosed on Wednesday and we’ll get the stage this coming Wednesday.” He wiped his eyes and then nodded. “But yeah, Mickey has fucking cancer.”

Fiona held his hand tightly. “What type of cancer?”

“Hodgkin's lymphoma, it’s a blood cancer. He has NSHL-”

Ian then continued to explain the type of cancer Mickey had and what their plan for treatment currently was and by the time he finished he knew that Mickey would be hungry and so he told Fiona that she needed to give them time, to which she agreed.

Ian then put some food on a plate and then headed upstairs to his husband.

Mickey was still lying in bed and he had just woken up from his nap, his hair was messy, but it made Ian smile.

“Hi. Did you have a nice nap, babe?” Ian asked as he put the plate on the bedside table.

Mickey shrugged and then yawned. “It was okay. I got about two hours I think.” He then kissed Ian’s cheek. “I think that I’ve accepted the cancer. I just feel more at peace with it now, and I think that I’ll accept it even more when I get staged.”

Ian smiled, stroked Mickey’s hair and then kissed his cheek. “That happens sometimes. Sometimes sleeping helps solve problems or challenges internally. You’ll pull through and I’ll be there for you and the kids will be there for you.” He grabbed the food and picked up food with the fork and then brought it over to Mickey’s mouth. “Open up,” he cooed.

Mickey rolled his eyes and then opened his mouth since he knew that it would be too painful to move his arms. “Fine.”

Ian spoon fed Mickey until he had finished all his food and then he kissed Mickey’s forehead. “There you go.” He smiled and then smoothed Mickey’s hair. “I’m gonna go get a small tub of warm water and wipe you down.”

Mickey nodded. “Sounds nice.” He adjusted himself against the pillows and winced when the skin on his chest pulled. He relaxed as Ian went to the bathroom and then smiled when Ian came back with the small tub of water and a washcloth.

Ian sat at the edge of the bed and then put the tub on the bedside table. He wet the soft washcloth and then started to wipe Mickey down. “Bed baths for the rest of the week, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m a lucky guy.”

Ian chuckled and then shook his head. “I’m the lucky one.”

“Then we’re both lucky,” Mickey said with a smile. “And I love you.”

Ian smiled. “Ditto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. Here's the latest chapter. Sorry for any typos or anything, I don't have a beta reader and I'm not the greatest at editing my own stuff when I'm focused on a lot of other stuff.
> 
> Also, I have no idea when I'll be able to post a new chapter because I am leaving for Ireland and then England for two weeks the day after tomorrow (29th of July) and I'm going to be gone until August 15th. I do not know when and where I'll be able to get internet as I'm staying in places that I don't know much about and won't have cellular data. Five days after I come home, I move out. So things are going to be chaotic, but I'll be bringing a notebook and writing in there... the posting just might be odd, but I will definitely be coming back to this story when I can. Thanks for reading! :)


	55. The Trouble Starts Here P5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: cancer, vomitting, needle mention, chemotherapy, sadness.

**_May 2 2029_ **

 

Mickey sat on the couch with a plate of pancakes. His chest was feeling better and his appetite was back a little bit. He was watching the movie  _ Secretary _ and texting Yevgeny. 

They still hadn’t told the kids about his cancer, they had told them that Mickey was really sick, but that was it. The kids were going to be coming home that day and Mickey was going to get his final diagnosis, so they were going to tell them that night.

Ian came into the family room and kissed the top of Mickey’s head. “How are those pancakes tasting?”

“Good,” Mickey replied. He finished them off and then laid down on his side. “Come watch this with me?” He watched Ian sit down on the couch, then he leaned in close, and began to cuddle his husband.

They cuddled until they heard the telephone ring. Ian ran to the kitchen and grabbed the phone, he answered the phone and ran back with it. He put the phone on speakerphone and then he sat back on the couch and cuddled Mickey, holding Mickey’s hand in order to give him a little extra comfort. 

Mickey turned the television off and then curled up close to Ian as the doctor spoke.

“Afternoon, Mickey.” He said, his voice was strong and didn’t waver.

Mickey responded with the brightest, “afternoon Dr. Matthews,” he could muster. 

“I got your test results from your blood work and your scan. We found another affected area in your chest in the PET/CT scan, which means that you have stage IIA Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”

“O-okay.” His voice wavered. He was both upset that it was stage two, but he was happy that it was only stage two and that it was asymptomatic.

Ian squeezed Mickey’s hand to reassure him. He pressed a kiss to Ian’s head and then whispered, “that’s good news. It’s early.” He breathed a slight sigh of relief from the fact that even though it was cancer, it was caught early.

“You are considered early stage which we will treat with six rounds of chemotherapy first and if the cancer seems to still be there, radiation will be the second step only if it’s really needed.” Dr. Matthews explained before going through the scheduling of Mickey’s chemotherapy and then they concluded their phone call.

“Well, that’s the best news we could get,” Ian said before kissing Mickey’s cheek.

Mickey smiled and nodded. “I’m glad that it’s early.” He kissed Ian’s cheek back. “Not as good as stage I, but it’ll be okay, right?”

Ian nodded. “Yes, it has a high rate of survival and it’s able to be cured in the majority of cases. You also have a great doctor which is really good.”

Mickey nodded. “It’s just going to be twelve sessions of chemo.” 

Ian rubbed Mickey’s shoulders. “Yes, it will be.”

The doorbell rang and then Ian got off the couch and went to the front door to answer it.

He opened the door and Adam ran into his arms squealing, “Daddddyyyyyyy!”

Yevgeny smiled at Ian and waved. “Hi, Dad, how’s Papa?”

“We have something to tell you all,” Ian explained as he hugged all the kids.

Lip looked at Ian sadly and then nodded. “See ya later, Ian.”

Ian nodded. “See you later.”

Tori hugged Ian tightly as she smiled. “So, Papa’s feeling better? Where is he?”

Ian sighed and kissed the top of her head as he stood up and picked Adam up. “He’s in the living room, but we have something to tell all of you guys.”

Tori’s eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. “Is there going to be a new baby?!” She asked excitedly as she jumped.

Ian nearly laughed from what his daughter thought was going on. “No, no, there’s no new baby, but this is important,” he said as he lead them into the family room.

Adam smiled brightly and squealed when he saw Mickey. “Papa!”

Mickey smiled as Ian put Adam down on the couch. Mickey patted his lap. “Come here, kiddo.” He hugged Adam and then kissed the top of his head. He then hugged Tori and Yev. “Hi guys.”

They both said ‘hi’ to their dad and then sat down on the couch. 

Ian sat down in the armchair and smiled softly at the sight. He was always so happy watching the kids spend time with their Papa. Mickey would always be so soft and caring for all the kids, he was also soft and caring for Ian, but it was a different kind with the kids, and Ian loved the soft spot Mickey had for their children.

“Alright,-” Mickey took a deep breath. “-I’ve been sick, really sick, and well, I’ve gotten a diagnosis. I have something called Nodular Sclerosis which is a type of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is a type of cancer. I’m going to be fine but I’m starting chemo on Friday.”

Yev and Tori’s faces were incredibly pale.

“D-dad, ar-r-re you going to d-die?” Yevgeny asked worriedly, his voice was soft and he was as pale as a ghost.

Adam stopped moving and worriedly looked up at Mickey.

“No, I’m not going to die. I’m just in the early stages which is good. That means that the rates of being cured are very high,-” He took a deep breath. “-but this is going to be a hard time for all of us. I’m going to be sick a lot, but then I’ll be better.”

Yev nodded. “Are you sure that you’ll be fine?”

Mickey and Ian nodded before Ian spoke. “Yes, papa will be fine. We just need to give him some space and cuddles and love.” 

Then Mickey got everyone to pile onto the couch and have a large cuddle pile as they watched Mulan.

* * *

_ **May 4 2029** _

Mickey woke up at eight o’clock on Friday to Ian running around prepping the chemo bag. “Mick, what do you want to read in chemo?”

Mickey groaned and rubbed his eyes. “I have to do work.”

Ian nodded and kissed the top of his husband’s head. “I know. I packed your work materials already, but do you want to read something else? You’re gonna be in there for at least three hours getting the treatment.”

“Fine. The book on the bedside is fine. Are the kids at school yet?” Mickey asked as he sat up and continued rubbing his eyes.

Ian nodded and checked Mickey’s port. He carefully checked the skin around the port before covering it with a fresh piece of sterile gauze. “Yes, they wish you all the best, but we didn’t want to wake you up.”

Mickey sighed as he got up and started to make his way to the bathroom. “You could have woken me up. I wouldn’t have cared.”

Ian entered the bathroom with Mickey and then filled a glass with water as Mickey started to do his business. “You gotta take your anti-nausea meds when you finish. I’ll make you some toast and a get you a little yogurt to keep your stomach full.” He ruffled Mickey’s hair and then kissed Mickey’s head.

“I don’t need the pills,” Mickey argued as he washed his hands.

Ian shook his head and then kissed the top of Mickey’s head again. “No, you need to take them. You want to stay ahead of the nausea or else you’ll be really nauseous later, potentially, but that depends on your reaction to the chemo.” He handed Mickey the glass of water and the pill. “Take your pills, bitch.”

Mickey chuckled and took the pill in his hand. “Using my own words against me, huh?”

Ian nodded and ruffled Mickey’s hair. “Yep.” He pointed at the pill. “Zofran, eight milligrams. You gotta let it dissolve under your tongue and then you can drink some water to flush out the bad taste.”

Mickey put the small white round tablet under his tongue and scrunched up his face as he let the pill melt. He waited until it was completely melted and then took a large swig of water. “Ugh! That was fucking disgusting!”

“Yeah, but you won’t regret taking it later,” Ian said as he ruffled Mickey’s hair. “When we get home, I’m gonna make you some soup and let you relax for the rest of the night.”

Mickey kissed Ian’s cheek. “I’ll do just fine.”

Ian shrugged in response. “It’s good to plan ahead in case you feel crappy later.” He hugged Mickey. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Mickey rubbed Ian’s back. “We’ll see what happens, okay?”

Ian nodded and then went downstairs to make Mickey some toast while Mickey got dressed. 

Mickey put on his soft black pajama pants and then put his red shirt on, really it was Ian’s. He went down to the kitchen and then ate a little bit of his breakfast, which was toast, eggs, and yogurt, before getting up and going to the hospital with Ian in tow. 

When they went to the hospital, they went straight up to the oncology ward.

Mickey was seen for a pre-chemo check and his blood was analyzed and before they knew it, Mickey was being brought back into the chemo room. Ian followed the nurse with Mickey, he then sat in the chair next to the comfy chemo armchair. Mickey sat down and then the nurse took the catheter and carefully sanitized the lumens and then flushed the line. “I’m going to give you the first drug.” She brought over a syringe and then stuck the needle into the end of one of the lumens, and began pushing the red drug into Mickey’s port slowly. “I’ll be back in ten minutes after I hook you up to the next drip.” She flushed the line again and then hooked him up to the next drip before saying, “if you need anything, just press that button.” She smiled softly and then left.

Mickey leaned back and watched the program currently on the television. It wasn’t a good program and so he didn’t know what was going on in it other than it was about rich women in some town.

He closed his eyes after a moment and then woke up when the nurse came back with the next medication.

Ian squeezed Mickey’s hand as the nurse flushed the port and then hooked him up to the next drug.

“This one is thirty minutes.” She smiled and then left.

Ian stood up and then kissed the top of Mickey’s head before pulling a notepad out of the chemo session bag and then sitting back down. “You doing okay, babe?”

Mickey nodded. “Yeah, I feel fine. For now.” He smiled at Ian and then pulled out his work documents. “I’m probably going to sleep when we get back.”

“Sounds like a plan, buddy.” Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek and then starting jotting down notes. “That first drug was the Adriamycin, the second was Vinblastine, and this one is the Dacarbazine.” He mentioned.

Mickey nodded. “Sounds good.” He smiled and then started filling out paperwork.

Ian watched as Mickey tried to get comfortable. “You sure that you’re alright?” He asked before kissing Mickey’s cheek. 

“Yeah. I feel okay. A little tired, but I’m doing okay.” Mickey moved into a better position in the armchair and then put his work aside and closed his eyes.

Ian watched as Mickey drifted off to sleep and then he continued writing down notes and working on his new book.

* * *

 

When Mickey woke up, his treatment had just concluded and his port was being flushed again.

“Morning, sleepy head.” Ian said as he kissed his husband’s cheek. “How did you sleep?”

Mickey rubbed his eyes as the nurse checked his vitals. “I slept okay. I’m just really tired and cold”

Ian nodded and then got Mickey’s dark gray sweatshirt. “Well, when we get home you can sleep again. Maybe take a nice hot bath.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek and then started to help Mickey into his sweatshirt, zipping it up once it was completely on. “Better?”

“Yeah.” Mickey then yawned and watched as the nurse disconnected his catheter and covered the port site with a fresh piece of gauze. “A bath would be nice.”

Ian nodded and packed everything up before helping Mickey up. “Do you want a wheelchair to get to the car?”

Mickey thought about it for a moment and leaned against Ian. “Yeah. I think that might be a good idea. I’m just really tired.”

Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek and held him up. “Alright, babe. We’ll do that then.”

The nurse brought a wheelchair over from the corner of the room and Ian helped Mickey sit down.

Mickey sat down a little reluctantly, but then relaxed. “Much better.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just really tired and I have a little bit of a headache.”

The nurse nodded as she began to push the wheelchair. “That’s normal, would you like some ibuprofen?”

Mickey shook his head. “No, I’m alright.”

Ian left to pull the car up to the entrance near the elevator and then the nurse brought Mickey down.

When Mickey got to the car he was helped into the passenger's seat and he closed his eyes.

* * *

 

Mickey woke up when they got home and then Ian helped him into the house. “Upstairs?” Ian asked as he adjusted his hold on Mickey’s waist.

Mickey nodded. “Yeah.”

They went upstairs slowly and then into the bedroom.

Ian sat Mickey on the bed and then pulled back the sheets a little bit more before helping Mickey lie down. “Alright, let’s get you tucked in and ready for a real nap.” Ian tucked Mickey in and pressed a kiss to his husband’s cheek. “You good?”

“Yeah. Much better.” Mickey closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. “I have a headache though.”

Ian nodded and kissed Mickey’s cheek. “I’ll go get you some ibuprofen.” He went to the dresser and then got two small blue pills and a glass of water. “Here, baby.” He handed over the pills and the water.

Mickey took the medication and then put the glass on the bedside table. “Thanks.”

Ian sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his husband’s hair. “I love you, my brave and wonderful husband.”

Mickey closed his eyes and then yawned. “I love you too, but I’m not brave.”

“Yes, you are. You’re the bravest person that I know, and I’m so proud of you.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek and then cuddled him close. “But more of that later, for now you need to rest.”

Mickey nodded and then drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

 

Mickey’s eyes opened again around six o’clock in the evening and he felt terrible. “Ian.”

Ian’s eyes shot open and he sat up. “Are you alright?”

“I feel sick.” Mickey said with a groan as he rolled over. “I’m gonna puke.”

Ian nodded. “Alright, babe. One second.” He got out of bed and then ran to the bathroom and grabbed the plastic trash can and brought it back to the bedroom. 

Mickey was sitting up and he was groaning.

Ian put the bin under Mickey’s mouth and then rubbed his back. “It’s alright,” he said softly. “It’s alright. I’ve got you. Your stomach’s upset from the medication.”

Mickey began to throw up and Ian stroked his hair and reassured him as he rubbed his back. 

When Mickey finished, Ian wiped his face and then moved the bin. “Alright, babe. I’ll clean up and then get the bath running.” He helped Mickey lie back and then he went to the bathroom with the bin. He washed it out and then turned on the tap for the bath. He brought the bin back to the bedroom and then put it onto the bedside table before helping Mickey out of bed. 

Mickey walked carefully with Ian’s assistance to the bathroom. Mickey undressed and then got into the tub.

Ian gently washed Mickey’s body and hair, carefully massaging baby shampoo into Mickey’s hair. “Baby shampoo is better for your hair when you’re going through chemo since it’s gentle.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek.

“It’s just going to fall out anyways.” Mickey said with a shrug.

Ian nodded. “Probably, but let’s take care of it until it does in case it doesn’t.” He rinsed his husband’s hair and then helped him up and out of the tub. He toweled Mickey off and then took him into the bedroom. 

Mickey got into bed and then relaxed as Ian massaged his body with moisturizing lotion. “I love you, babe. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Ian smiled and then kissed Mickey’s forehead. “I love you too. No problem, you’re the love of my life, of course I’m gonna take care of you.”

Mickey smiled and relaxed more, his eyes closing, allowing him to fall asleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So I ended up taking off my entire vacation since I felt like I really needed to relax and work on my health. I hope that this chapter was okay since I'm a little jetlagged and quite tired. I'll probably go through and edit it later.  
> Thanks for reading! :)


	56. The Trouble Starts Here P6

_ **June 1st 2029** _

  
  


Mickey woke up around four in the morning, he already had started to feel sick. He ran his hand through his thinning black hair and then groaned as he pulled his hand away and felt strands of his hair tangled in his fingers. He wanted to cry, he hated the treatment, and he felt so sick after each session. He hadn’t cut his hair in months since he hadn’t had the energy, and so the hair that was still on his head was fairly long. He sat up in bed and then wiped his hand over his pillow and ended up just brushing his hand through strands of his hair that had fallen out.

Mickey swung his legs over the side of the bed and then slowly stood up. He then wiped his hand over the pillow once more and collected all the strands he could, clutching them in his hand.

He walked to the bathroom and then threw the handful of strands out. He stood in front of the mirror and ran his hand over his face, it was perfectly smooth. He hadn’t grown facial hair since his second treatment, which he didn’t mind so much. But the thing that looked the weirdest was that his eyebrows were pretty much gone and he didn’t have eyelashes anymore.

Mickey laughed when he thought about what Ian had said when they had first started to make their disappearance, ‘now you’ll be expressionless’.

He ran his thumb over them now and watched as the final few hairs fell from his right eyebrow. He laughed for a moment and then ran his thumb over the other one which ended up also pretty much disappearing, save a few hairs. He then opened the cabinet under the sink and looked around for a pair of tweezers. He found some in Ian’s Dopp kit and held them in his hand for a few seconds before looking in the mirror and tweezing out the last few hairs, which came out easily and without any pain.

“Mick?” A soft voice said.

Mickey turned and looked at the door, where Ian was leaned up against the doorframe. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay?” Ian asked as he stood up fully and stepped closer to his husband.

Mickey nodded. “I’m fine. Tired, but fine.”

Ian nodded in return and then hugged Mickey pressing a kiss to the top of Mickey’s head, which ended up being accidently placed on a new bald spot, the first of what would become many.

Mickey knew that he had a bald spot when he felt Ian press his lips to a bare spot. He sighed. “Shit, it’s really gonna be gone soon.”

Ian hugged his husband a little tighter. “Unfortunately, probably.”

“What time is chemo?” Mickey asked as he kissed Ian’s cheek.

Ian kissed Mickey’s forehead. “Nine, as per usual.”

Mickey nodded. “So we have time.” He sat down on the counter.

“For what?” Ian asked as he held Mickey’s hand. “You seem a little too tired to have sex.”

Mickey nodded. “That’s true.” He then ran his hand through his hair, bringing strands with it. “I kinda just want to shave it off. Kinda tired of the mess, “ He said as dropped the strands into the trashcan.

Ian nodded and kissed his husband’s forehead. “Okay. We can do that if you want to.”

Mickey nodded. “I want to. It’ll make things easier.” He chuckled. “Then I won’t be leaving a trail of hair everywhere I go.”

Ian ran his hand over Mickey’s hair gently. “That’s true.” He then grabbed one of the clean beach towels that they now kept in the bathroom for when Mickey was really sick and they needed to cover the bed in case he got really violently ill. “You sure about this?”

“Yeah, Ian. It’s fine. It’s just gonna fall out anyways,” Mickey said his voice not wavering at all. His hand reached up and cupped Ian’s face. “It’s alright.”

Ian nodded and then gently pet Mickey’s hair again. “Alright. Why don’t you strip down and sit in the tub.”

Mickey got off the counter and then walked over to the tub. He carefully shed his clothing, revealing his thin and pale body. He had shrunk several sizes and he hunched over a little in an attempt to cover himself. He got into the tub and then sat down as Ian turned on the water.

“I’ll bathe you first and try to get some of the tangles out, alright?”

Mickey nodded and then laid back in the tub. He was shivering a bit since he had lost almost all the fat on his body and so he didn’t have much insulation from the cold temperature of the air, even though Ian had raised the household temperature early on.

Ian turned the handles and made sure that the water was hot, since he knew that that was how Mickey liked to bathe. He let the tub fill up until it was four inches from the edge before he took the handheld showerhead and then turned the pressure way down. “Is the temperature okay?”

Mickey nodded and smiled. “Perfect.” He relaxed in the tub as Ian started to gently rinse his hair.

Ian turned off the showerhead and then draped it on the safety handle that was suctioned to the wall. He squirted shampoo into his hand and then began to gently rub the shampoo through his hair. “I’ll try to get as many tangles out as possible, but it’s a little matted since a bunch of the hair that has fallen has gotten tangled with the rest overnight.” He continued to wash Mickey’s hair very carefully. “I just don’t want to pull it when cutting it.” He massaged his husband’s scalp. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Mickey smiled brightly at Ian. “Thank you for doing this and taking care of me so well through this.”

Ian turned the water back on and then started to gently rinse his husband’s hair. “No need to thank me. You’ve taken care of me and I’m just doing the same thing in return since I love you.”

Mickey relaxed as Ian washed his hair. “What do you think the kids will say?”

“I don’t know. They might not say anything, but they’ll still love you, hair or no hair.” Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek and then helped him sit up. “And you’re brave as fuck.”

Mickey blushed as he shook his head while he sat up with Ian’s help. “Nah.”

“Yes, you are. You’ve been to hell and back and you’re so fucking brave.” Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek and then pumped conditioner into in hand and gently lathered Mickey’s hair. He got up and then got a comb from the drawer under the counter and then returned to Mickey and started to gently comb through the tangles. As strands came free, Ian put them into the trashcan.

“How long is this gonna take, Ian?”

Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek. “Just a little while longer. I don’t want to hurt you while I comb it, so I’m taking it slowly.”

Mickey nodded and then twiddled his thumbs as Ian finished combing his hair and then washed out the conditioner.

“Alright, all done.” He helped Mickey up out of the tub and to the toilet.

Mickey sat down on the closed toilet lid and yawned. “I'm tired again.”

Ian nodded and then started to drain the tub. “I know. After this we can get you back in bed.”

Mickey nodded and then pulled on his underwear before taking the beach towel and wrapping it around his shoulders. “Well, let's get this over with.”

Ian nodded and then kissed his husband's cheek before grabbing the clippers from underneath the sink. He plugged them in and then ran his hand over Mickey’s hair. “Kinda sad really. Makes things seem even more real.” He sighed sadly and then kissed Mickey's cheek.

“Can we just get this over with?” Mickey asked as he looked up at Ian. “Please. I don't think that I can handle this much longer.”

Ian nodded and then turned on the clippers, the low buzzing noise filling the room. “You sure?”

“It's going to be gone soon anyways, so why the fuck not.”

Ian nodded and then raised them to Mickey's hairline before slowly clipping off the section. The cut hairs fluttered down onto the towel as he continued cutting Mickey's sparse hair, and only a minute later, there was nothing left except stubble. Ian turned off the clippers and put them back on the counter. He held his breath as he took a good look at his husband. “Shit.”

“Do I look bad?” Mickey asked with the slightest hint of worry in his voice.

Ian teared up and shook his head before running his hand over the stubble on Mickey's head. “No, absolutely not. You could never look bad.” He kissed the top of Mickey's head. “It's just really different and it's making things feel even more real.” He lamented, his hand gently stroking his husband's hair again.

Mickey sighed and then took a deep breath as Ian pulled away a little bit and then grabbed his razor, which was equipped with a fresh blade.

Ian sighed before coating Mickey's head with a generous amount of shaving cream. “This is really weird. I've shaved you before, but never here.”

Mickey chuckled and nodded. “That would be true.”

Ian started to slowly scrape off the stubble until about ten minutes later when Mickey's head was completely shaved. “It doesn't look bad, actually.” Ian said with a smile as he began to wipe off the excess cream. “Looks nice.” He rested his hand on Mickey's naked scalp.

Mickey shivered and ducked his head in response to the touch. “It's weird. I'm not used to it yet.”

Ian kissed his husband's scalp and then smiled. “You'll get used to it, and then when you finish treatment, it'll all grow back.”

Mickey nodded and then yawned. “I need to lie down, Ian-” He yawned again. “-I'm really tired.”

Ian nodded and then helped his husband into the bedroom and then into bed.

Mickey curled up under the covers and looked at Ian. “Can you cuddle me?” He asked softly, almost afraid to admit that he wanted physical affection at the moment.

“Of course, babe.” Ian climbed into bed and then pulled Mickey into his arms. “You okay?”

Mickey nodded, but his eyes grew wet. “Yeah-” He was quiet for a moment before admitting, “things are hard.” He gestured towards his head and then body. “This is hard. I don't like being sick.”

Ian nodded and then rubbed Mickey's back. “I know. I know,” He soothed. “I can't even imagine how terrible this is for you. I wish that I could fix things and help you feel better, but I can't and that sucks.”

Mickey nodded and then rubbed his face against Ian's shoulder. “Promise that you'll stay?”

“What?”

Mickey held his breath for a second and then responded saying, “that you'll stay married to me. That you won't leave me because I'm sick.”

Ian's eyes went wide at the response and then he held Mickey even tighter. “I would never, ever, leave you. I'm going to be here for you until, and after, you get better. You are the love of my life and I'm never going to leave you. Never. I promise an infinite amount of fucking times. I couldn't live without you.”

Mickey nodded and then closed his eyes. “Sorry, I'm getting really tired again.”

Ian kissed Mickey's forehead. “It's alright. Why don't you go back to sleep for a little while. It's only five in the morning.” He rubbed Mickey's back.

Mickey nodded and then started falling asleep as he relaxed in Ian's arms.

It took about ten minutes until Mickey was fully asleep and then Ian got up and went to clean up.

Ian went into the bathroom and began to clean up. He cleaned and oiled the clippers and then put the attachments in the case. He cleaned up the entire bathroom and then found a single left over lock of hair. Tears started to come up to his eyes, but he forced himself to stop thinking about his sick husband. He picked the lock up in his hand and watched it curl into a 'C' shape in his palm.

Ian made his way to the bedroom and went into the closet. He looked up at the shelves and then found what he was looking for and pulled it down. He held the box in his free hand and then brought it over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. He sat down and then opened the box and smiled.

The box was their family, but mostly Mickey's, keepsake box and it held a lot of things that were special to their family. He opened and even smaller box inside of the one and then smiled as he saw the locks of their children's hair and Ian's as well. He found a little extra tiny plastic hair tie and then tied Mickey's hair together and placed it inside for safe keeping. He closed the box and then put it back into the closet before going to the bed.

“Daddy?” A small voice said from the corner of the room.

Ian turned around and saw Tori standing there in her nightdress. “Morning, princess. You okay?”

She nodded and then looked up at Ian. “Is papa okay?”

“Yes, he is. He's a little tired, but he's okay.”

Tori nodded and then climbed up on the bed. She didn't say anything about Mickey's hair, but rested her head on his chest cuddling close.

Ian smiled and then got into bed next to them. “The medication was making papa's hair fall out so-”

“Daddy, I know that. I'm almost ten,” she argued as she curled up closer to her papa.

Ian brushed her hair out of her face and nodded. “I know, princess. I just wanted to make sure you understand what's going on and that papa is going to look different for a while.”

She nodded. “Until he stops taking the medication.”

“That's correct.”

“Mrs. Jackson told me that.” She let go of her papa and then curled up with Ian. “Will papa be okay?”

Ian sighed and then nodded. “Yes, but it's going to take a little while since he is really sick. When he gets better though he'll be able to run around and play with you and Adam a lot better than he can now. We just need to give him time to rest and recover. Can you be a brave girl for me and wait patiently?”

Tori nodded and then kissed Ian's cheek. “Yes, daddy. I'll wait for papa.”

Ian's hand stroked Tori's hair. “How do papa and I have such a good daughter?”

Tori shrugged and then yawned before falling asleep in Ian's arms.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I just moved into college and I've been so busy. Thanks for waiting patiently and reading! :)


	57. The Trouble Starts Here P7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This arch is almost over. I'm thinking that there will probably be one or two more chapters of it.

**_August 10th 2029_ **

Mickey woke up to a loud clang and his eyes shot open and he smiled when he saw Ian, all their kids, and Molly standing at the foot of the bed.

“What’s the occasion?” Mickey asked as he double checked that his beanie was covering his pale bald scalp. He yawned and then propped himself into a sitting position when he was satisfied that his beanie was completely on.

Ian cocked his eyebrow and then chuckled before Yev happily shouted, “It’s your birthday, dad!”

Mickey covered his ears from the sheer volume of Yev’s shout. He already had had a headache bubbling away in his head and now it was a little worse. “I totally forgot.”

“You’re an old man now, dad.”

Mickey chuckled and then smiled as Adam crawled into his lap. “I’m not that old. I’m only thirty five.”

Ian nodded and that sat on the edge of the bed. “And you don’t look a day over nineteen.” He kissed his husband’s forehead and then held his small emaciated hand. “You feeling okay?”

“I feel okay, not great. I have a little bit of a headache. What was that loud clang?”

Molly lifted up a tray that she was carrying. “We brought you breakfast in bed. It’s all the good stuff that you like.”

Mickey forced a smile and then kissed the top of Adam’s head. “Thanks guys.” 

Ian worriedly felt Mickey’s forehead. “No fever, that’s good. I’m gonna go get you some Advil.”

Mickey nodded. He wasn’t resistant to taking pain medication or pills anymore. He was used to swallowing lots of pills at once now and even though he didn’t particularly like it, he did it just to be able to tolerate his children. That was the hardest part for him, feeling irritated or even angry at his kids over the fact that they sometimes talked to loudly and caused him to get a really bad headache. He knew it wasn’t fair, but that didn’t stop it from happening. He loved his kids more than anything in the entire world, but sometimes they made his pain worse. 

Adam smiled at Mickey as Molly placed the tray in front of Mickey. “Papa, can we go to the park today, just me and you?”

Mickey sighed and shook his head. “I’m ‘fraid not, kiddo. I’m not feeling very well and I need to stay in bed.”

“Okay, papa,” Adam said softly.

Mickey knew that he was disappointed, but he really couldn’t take the kid to the park. Being sick made him feel useless. He couldn’t take his son to the park to play, let alone play with the kid in the family room for more than ten minutes without needing to rest.

Yevgeny handed Mickey a card. “Here, papa. We made you a card.”

Mickey smiled and then pulled Yev in for a hug. “I have the best family, huh?”

The kids nodded and then Mickey laughed before reading the card.

It said, ‘Happy Birthday, papa/ Mickey! We love you very much and we hope that you start feeling better soon! We love you! Love: Yevgeny, Ian, Tori, Adam, and Molly.’

Mickey teared up as he read it. “Thank you, guys.”

“Just wait until the big surprise da-” Adam began to say before Yevgeny covered his mouth.

Yev looked at Adam. “Adam, dad told you not to tell him. Stop trying to ruin the surprise.”

Adam nodded and looked down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Mickey kissed the top of Adam’s head. “It’s alright, buddy. I know you didn’t.”

Tori laid down next to Mickey and then Mickey’s hand smoothed her hair. “Good morning, Tori.”

“Morning, papa,” she said happily with a huge smile on her face.

Mickey smiled back at her and then ruffled her hair. “Did you sleep well?”

Tori nodded. “Yes.”

Ian returned and handed Mickey the Advil pills and Mickey took them. 

“Mick, do you want your gift now or later?”

Adam perked up as did Tori causing Mickey to laugh. “Why not now?”

Ian kissed his cheek and then reached into his back pocket and withdrew a sheet of paper and handed it to Mickey. “It’s from all of us.”

Mickey took the sheet of paper and quizzically looked at it.

Ian laughed. “You gotta open it up, babe.”

Mickey nodded and then stuck his tongue out at Ian. “I know that.” He opened up the piece of paper and saw a picture of a puppy. Mickey smiled brightly.

“You’ve been saying that you get lonely sometimes when I can’t be home with you, so I figured, we figured, that a dog might be good for you. When you start feeling better, we can go pick him up from the foster home.”

Mickey smiled and nodded. “That sounds really good. Does he have a name?”

Ian nodded. “In keeping with the Russian or Ukrainian name tradition, his name is Raskolnikov.”

Mickey chuckled. “I’m guessing you stole that name from the book that I was just reading.”

“I did, and I’m not ashamed of it either. You were saying how you related so much to the character that I thought that it was perfect. He’s a four month old American Staffordshire Terrier and he’s currently in a foster home since he was born in a shelter. He’s very sweet and he likes to cuddle.”

Mickey smiled and nodded before hugging Ian and then the kids. “Thanks, guys. He’s amazing.”

Adam nodded. “He’s nice!”

“That’s good,” Mickey said with a chuckle. 

“We just gotta get you feeling better so that he can come home,” Ian explained. “I don’t want to introduce him to you and have you feel stressed when you’re still undergoing treatment.”

Mickey nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. He’s very cute.”

“We picked him out especially for you.”

Mickey smiled. “I have a great family, huh?”

Adam nodded. “Yes you do, papa!”

Mickey and Ian erupted into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so short. I've been wanting to update but I have been EXTREMELY busy unfortunately. But on the bright side, I'm learning Russian. :) Thanks for reading and being patient! :)


	58. The Trouble Starts Here P8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of the cancer arch is here... and I might have waited to post it until today because it's dated October 1st 2029 in the first section.... I'm that weird.

**October 1st 2029**

 

Mickey woke up and was rather stiff. His back hurt and he felt pretty nauseous, but he was happy.

He looked over to his husband and then kissed Ian’s forehead before happily poking Ian’s arm.

Ian’s eyes shot open and he looked at his husband. “Are you alright?” He asked worriedly.

“Yeah,” he said with a bright smile. “Today’s my last day of chemo!”

Ian smiled and then ran his hand over his husband’s bald scalp. “I know, baby. Are you excited?”

Mickey smiled and nodded. “Of fuckin’ course I am. I’m so happy that I’m almost done. I just hope that it’s all gone.”

Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s scalp. “We’ll keep positive. We won’t be able to get a new scan for a few months, but hopefully it’ll be gone.” His hand smoothed over Mickey’s scalp. “Hopefully your hair will start growing back soon. I miss running my fingers through it.”

“I hope so too. I’m just really happy that I’m not going to have to have to go to chemo anymore.” He curled up next to his husband and smiled happily. “I can’t wait to start being able to play with the kids again, take them out, and work again.” 

Ian smiled and nodded. “I never knew that you were such a workaholic.”

“I’m not, but I really like to work. It keeps my mind busy.”

Ian kissed the top of Mickey’s scalp. “I hope that your eyebrows come back soon too. It’s been weird not being able to see your emotions as clearly.” 

“Me too. I look weird without them, like a fucking alien.” Mickey sat up and then kissed Ian’s forehead. “I can’t wait to be able to have private time with you again.”

Ian smiled and nodded. “That will be nice. We were able to have a great few fucks early on.”

Mickey nodded as he grabbed his anti-nausea pill and put it under his tongue and began the tedious task of waiting for the terrible tasting medication to melt. Once the pill finished melting, Mickey swished gatorade around in his mouth and then smiled. “We did have a great few fucks early on, but then I started getting tired.”

Ian nodded. “Soon you’ll hopefully start to get a little less tired.” 

“I hope so. I want to be able to go run around with the kids again.” Mickey sat up and then looked at Ian. “I think that I’m going to go beanie-less today to celebrate.”

Ian smiled and then kissed his cheek. “I’m glad that you’re feeling confident today.” 

“I feel almost on top of the world today. I kept thinking that it would never end and now I’m so close to the end.  Mickey’s hand touched Ian’s and then held it. His hand looked tiny in Ian’s. His hands were pretty much skin and bone due to the weight loss. “I’m cold.”

Ian got up, letting go of Mickey’s hand. “I’ll go get you a sweatshirt.”

Mickey nodded and then leaned back against the pillows. “I’m kinda tired today and my back hurts a bit.”

“Do you want your heating pad?” Ian asked as he brought over his black sweatshirt and handed it over to Mickey. “Don’t get it dirty.”

Mickey chuckled and then nodded. “I’ll try not to, Ian, but no promises. Sometimes I can’t prevent potential vomiting.”

Ian ran his hand over Mickey’s scalp and nodded. “I know. I was only joking, babe. I won’t be mad. I promise.” He helped Mickey get the sweatshirt on and then he zipped it up. He then went into Mickey’s bedside table drawer and pulled out his heating pad. “Lower or upper back?”

“Lower. Lumbar.” He then bent forward to the extent that he could.

Ian sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward, and then tapped his shoulders. “Hands.” Mickey put his hands on Ian’s shoulders. “On the count of three, okay?”

“Yeah.”

Ian positioned the heating pad next to Mickey and then counting down from three and on one, he pulled his body forward making Mickey pick up his butt. He held Mickey up against his body and then moved the heating pad under Mickey’s body before gently laying him back down. “Better?”

Mickey nodded. “Yep, much better.” He relaxed and closed his eyes. “Thank you.”

Ian smiled and kissed Mickey’s scalp. “I gotta remember to put sunscreen on your scalp if you’re not going to wear your hat today.”

“I’ll wear a hat when I’m in the sun.”

Ian chuckled and then nodded. “So stubborn.” He then stood up. “I’ll go make you some food. What do you want?”

Mickey shrugged. “I’m not that hungry.”

“Mick, you gotta get. How about eggs and bacon and a slice of toast?”

Mickey sighed. “Eggs taste terrible.”

Ian chuckled and then cupped Mickey’s face. “I know that nothing tastes good. But you gotta eat even if food doesn’t taste good.” He then kissed the tip of Mickey’s nose. “Your sense of taste will come back soon, hopefully.” 

“It better.” Mickey relaxed and then closed his eyes and yawned.  “Thank you for being amazing.”

Ian smiled and then pulled the covers up for Mickey. “Get some rest, baby.”

* * *

 

“And you’re done,” the nurse said with a happy smile. “Just like that your chemo rounds are over.”

Mickey smiled weakly and nodded, before holding Ian’s hand. “I’ll give you too some time alone.”

Ian hugged Mickey and rubbed his back. “It’s done, baby. No more sitting here and getting infusions. It’s all done.” He kissed Mickey’s cheek.

Mickey began to cry into Ian’s shoulder, he was overwhelmed and tired and so the emotions began to come back. 

“It’s alright, Mick. It’s okay. Now we can go home and have time together with the kids and we can get you feeling better.” He kissed Mickey’s forehead. “And maybe in a month or so, we can get the puppy.” 

Mickey nodded, then picked his face up, and wiped his eyes. “I’m exhausted and I want to go home.”

“We can. Let’s go, baby.”

* * *

 

**December 21st 2029**

 

Mickey watched the snow fall outside of the window of the doctors office. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair. It had grown back completely, at first it was patchy and he had thought that it would never get back to normal, but now it had returned. For now it was thin, but he was pretty sure that it would start getting thicker soon. 

Ian rubbed Mickey’s back and then smoothed his husband’s hair. “I know you’re nervous.”

“I’m more than nervous,” Mickey said as he looked up at Ian with his pale blue eyes.

It only took a few more minutes until there was a knock on the door.

Mickey grabbed onto Ian’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “Come in.”

Doctor Matthews came into the room and then sat down in his chair and smiled. “This is one of the best parts of my job.” He cleared his throat. “I reviewed your scans from the other day and your blood work and the neck lymphs and chest are completely cancer free.”

A huge smile crossed Mickey’s face. “Please tell me this isn’t some sick joke.”

“I don’t joke when it comes to results. You are cancer free.” He smiled and then pulled out a sheet of paper. “I want you to get scans once every five months and blood work every two for the next year and a half at least. After that, if you’re still clean, you’re officially cured.”

Mickey nodded as the doctor wrote down some notes and then handed them to him. They shook hands and Doctor Matthews wished them well before leaving.

Once the door shut, Mickey burst out crying and Ian did as well. 

“It’s over. It’s finally fucking over and now we can get back to normal,” Mickey said as he sniffled and then wiped his eyes. 

“Yep, everything will go back to normal chaos.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea! Happy ending that I promised! Thank you for waiting for this chapter. I've been extremely busy and there are a lot of problems at my college due to my disability that I am trying to sort out. If you have any prompts for chapters outside of this arch, I would love to hear them. :)


	59. Я Тебе Люблю

**October 8th 2025**

 

The doorbell rang around three in the afternoon on a Saturday.

Mickey was busy in the embalming room and so Ian had to get the door. With Adam in his arms, Ian answered the door and saw a beautiful dark haired woman with bright ice blue eyes standing at the door.

“I’m looking for Mikhailo Milkovich. I was told that he lives here.”

Ian nodded and gestured for her to come in. “Yes, he does live here. He’s currently working downstairs, but I can get him to come up and have a consultation.”

“Consultation?” She tilted her head and then looked at Adam. “This must be his son! Oh, he looks so much like him!” She squealed excitedly. “You must be his nanny, I’m Katerina. Katerina Petrovna.” She extended her hand.

Ian was befuddled and he didn’t know what to say. Ian shook her hand anyways and then shook his head and laughed weakly. “I’m not the nanny. He’s my son too. I’m Mickey’s husband.” He tilted his hand a little so that his wedding band showed.

The woman looked a little confused for a second. “We’re married.” He then smiled at her. “I’ll go tell him you’re here.”

She nodded slowly. “Thank you.”

Ian headed downstairs and then found Mickey working away. “Babe, someone’s here to see you.”

“Another consultation... it’s like I never get a fuckin’ break,” Mickey said as he put down his scalpel. He then began to strip off his scrubs with frustration.

Ian shook his head and then pressed the side of Adam’s face to his chest, trying to shield him from looking at the dead body on the table.  “It’s someone who knows your full name... her name was...” he then started to try to think of what she had said her name was. “Her name was...” it hit him. “Katerina Petrovna.”

Mickey’s face went as pale as a sheet. “Aunt Kata is here? Here in this house?”

“She’s your aunt?” Ian raised his eyebrows. “Wait. Wait. You have an aunt?”

Mickey nodded as he started to head upstairs. “Yes, she’s Ma’s sister. She never comes to America and she’s been living in Ukraine her whole life. Last time I saw her I was... maybe 9.” He hurried upstairs and then peeked around the corner and got a good look at his aunt before stepping closer and then smiling. “Kata?”

«Миша! Це ти!?» (“Misha! Is that you?!”)

Mickey smiled and nodded. «Вітаю.» (“Hi.”) He hugged her. «Як ви поживаєте?» (“How are you”)

She took her hands and pressed them to his cheeks. «Дякую, добре. А ви?» (“Fine, thank you. And you?”) She asked before patting his cheek and removing her hands.

«Добре. Добре. Це мій чоловік.» (“Fine. Fine. This is my husband.”) He gestured towards Ian and smiled. He then kissed Adam’s cheek. «Це мій син, Адам. Він один з наших дітей.» (“This is my son, Adam. He is one of our kids.”).

The woman smiled and then hugged Mickey again. “It’s so good to see you.”

Ian was rather taken back from the events that he was seeing. “Who... who the fuck is Misha?”

“It’s the Russian diminutive of Mikhail, which is close enough to my name. She was in Russia for a long time and when I was born she started calling me that,” he explained.

Adam reached over to Mickey and Ian handed him over. Adam nuzzled his face into the crook of Mickey’s neck.

“I didn’t know that you could speak Ukrainian.”

Mickey nodded. “Just a little bit. Enough to get by and mom taught me some Russian too when I was little.”

Katerina came closer and smoothed Adam’s hair. «Это твой сын?» (“This is your son?”)

«Да.» (“Yes.”) Mickey ruffled Adam’s hair. «Мой другой сын, Евгений, и моя дочь в школе.» (“My other son, Yevgeny, and my daughter are at school.”)

Katerina looked like she was going to burst with joy. «Твоя дочь?» (“Your daughter?”)

«Да. Моя дочь.»  (“Yes. My daughter.”)

She smiled and then nodded.

Ian looked at Mickey. “Um, what’s going on?”

“Catching up,” Mickey said with a bright smile. “As I said, this is my husband. His name is Ian.”

Katerina hugged Ian. “Nice to meet you.”

Ian was a little freaked out by the sudden hug, but he accepted it. “Nice to meet you too.”

She then broke the hug and went over to Adam and began to coo and talk to him. “Adam, what a good strong name. And you have a Zhnya.”

Mickey nodded. “We do.”

“What’s a Zhnya?” Ian asked, still confused by the language

Mickey chuckled. “Sorry, I keep forgetting that you don’t speak Russian or Ukrainian. Zhnya is the diminutive of Yevgeny. She’s happy that we named our kids Eastern European names.” He kissed Ian’s cheek and then lead everyone to the kitchen. He put Adam down and then made coffee as Adam sat on Ian’s lap at the table.

“You have a daughter too.” Katerina smiled. “That’s good. At least one of each.”

Mickey nodded. “Yep, or in our case two boys and a girl.”

Katerina held Adam’s small hand and smiled at him to keep him entertained. “What’s her name?”

“Her name is Viktoriya and she’ll be home in about...” Mickey checked the clock. “Ten minutes.”

Katerina smiled at her nephew and then nodded. “You named her after your mother. What a good son you are.”

Her hand caressed the side of Mickey’s face and contrary to the past, he didn’t flinch or get angry. “She would be very proud of you.”

Mickey nodded. “I know.” He then brought the coffee over and sat down. “Have you seen Mandy yet?” Mickey asked, trying to get off the topic of his mother.

Katerina took a sip of her coffee and then shook her head. “Wasn’t able to find her. Is she well?”

“She’s fine. She had a baby a few weeks ago.” He then heard feet pounding on the floor and Yevgeny and Viktoriya shouting, “Dad! Papa! We’re home!” Mickey smiled as they ran into the kitchen. «Катерина, это моя дочь, и это мой сын. Биктория и Евгений.» (“Katerina, this is my son and this is my daughter. Viktoriya and Yevgeny.”)

Katerina looked excited. “They look so much like you and Ian.” She extended her hand to Yevgeny. “I’m your great aunt Katerina.”

Yevgeny nodded and then shook her head. “I’m Yevgeny.”

“Ah, yes, little Zhnya.” She smiled and then kissed Yevgeny’s cheek. She then extended her hand to Viktoriya and finally she looked at the time and decided that she had to go. They said goodbye and then Mickey told her to come back soon.

Later that night, Ian laid next to Mickey. “So you not only have an aunt, but you can speak Russian and Ukrainian and you didn’t tell me?”

“I’m not fluent, Ian. I speak a little, enough to get by.”

Ian curled up next to him. “What else do I not know about you?”

“Nothing that I can think of.” He kissed Ian’s cheek. “Are you mad at me?”

Ian shook his head. “No, just surprised, that’s all.”

“Good.” Mickey turned off the light. «Я тебе люблю.» (“I love you.”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I decided to practice a little bit of my Russian skills (my incredibly poor Russian skills that is) and learn a little Ukrainian for this chapter to practice writing. 
> 
> It is true that the Russian diminutive of Mikhail is Misha (Миша) and that the diminutive of Yevgeny is Zhnya (Женя). I had to make up a spelling for Zhnya as it is not really seen in English... anywhooo
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for being so patient. I've been in school and I've been super busy due to it. Thanks for sticking around it means the world to me! :)


	60. That's That

**March 16th 2013**

 

Mickey sat in bed, watching the sun rise from his spot next to his boyfriend. He was debating on leaving early, he didn’t know if Ian would want him over when he woke up and he didn’t really want to leave, but he thought that it would be for the best. He didn’t want Ian to think that he was too clingy or trying to alert his family that Ian was gay.

He swung his legs over the bed, but then felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Mick, where are you going?”

Mickey gulped and then moved his shoulder so Ian’s hand came off of it. He stood up and then began to pull his pants up. “Leaving.”

Ian blinked and then looked over to Mickey, reaching out a little. “Why? Stay.”

“I don’t want Fiona or anyone finding out about... this shit.” He ran his fingers through his hair and then tugged on his shirt.

Ian sighed and then rolled onto his side. He pressed his hand to Mickey’s side. “Mick, they know that I’m gay. Please, stay. They won’t care.” Ian squeezed Mickey’s side. “They don’t care. They know about me and they won’t judge you.”

Mickey looked over to the bunk bed and luckily Carl was still asleep and Liam was also still asleep. “Ian, I can’t. You know that I can’t.”

“You can, Mickey. You just don’t want to.” He sighed and then sat up. “Come on. Come back to bed. I promise you that they won’t care.”

Mickey just barely bit his lip and then he shook his head. “I’ll see you later.”

He slipped on his shoes and a moment later he carefully left, slipping out of the house like he normally did. He began the short walk home and then a few minutes later, right before he reached his house, he heard pounding footsteps.

“How fuckin’ dare you, Mickey!? All I wanted was some more time with you, but you won’t even give me that,” Ian shouted. “I just want you to be with me. Mickey, they don’t care about you being gay.”

Mickey sighed. “Ian, this shit is not as easy as you think. Terry will literally kill me if he finds out. He can’t find out.” He turned around and looked at Ian and Ian could tell that he was distressed. “I can’t be like that Ian. I can’t be gay. I’m not gay.”

Ian stepped closer to him. “Mick, you can’t just decide whether you’re gay or not.” He sighed. “If you’re gay then you’re gay. And I- And I love you, Mickey.”

Mickey’s face went bright red. “No, you don’t.” He turned around and then headed into the house and went up to his bedroom.

Ian turned around and then started heading home. He didn’t see Mickey until days later when he showed up at the Kash and Grab.

* * *

 

“Look who decided to show up,” Ian said as he slammed the drawer to the cash register.

Mickey didn’t respond but he went into the stacks of merchandise and emerged a second later and chucked a small box on the counter and shoved his hand in his wallet and pulled out some money.

“Actually paying this time?” Ian teased. “Never thought that you would actually do that.” He then looked at the box. “Condoms? You already getting fucked by someone else?”  
Mickey blushed. “I was buying them since I wanted to ask you if you would sleep with me again... I know that I fucked up, Ian. I just- fuckin’ Terry over complicates everything.”

“I know.” Ian sighed. “I sometimes forget that your family is not accepting even a little bit.”

“Mandy is.”

Ian nodded. “I know, she was my fuckin’ beard.” He chuckled and then looked at Mickey. “I’m sorry, Mickey. I was being too difficult the other day.”

Mickey sighed and then looked up at Ian. “Ian, it wasn’t your fault. I love you.”

Ian blushed and then his jaw slackened. “Mickey... please don’t bullshit me, not about this. Please don’t say ‘I love you’ if you don’t mean it.”

“I’m not bullshitting you, Ian.” He smiled at Ian. “I love you. I really do love you.”  Mickey reached over to hold Ian’s hand and then squeezed it. “I love you, Ian Gallagher. I fucking love you.” He sighed. “And I’m- I’m fucking gay. I’m fucking gay, Ian. I’m fucking gay and I love you.”

Ian looked at Mickey as tears came to his eyes. “Mickey, I fucking love you.” He squeezed Mickey’s hand. “I want you to spend the right with me. You can leave early if you want, but I would really like you to stay the night with me.”

Mickey nodded. “I will, and maybe in the morning, I won’t leave.”

Ian smiled. “Really?”

“If you promise that your family won’t get angry.”

Ian shook his head. “They wouldn’t, I promise. They just want to make sure that I’m safe and that you love me. They don’t care if you’re a man, they don’t care at all. They just want me to be happy. And Frank is, well, Frank and so he won’t really be angry, but he’ll make fun. Just don’t let it get to you. He doesn’t care, he’s just an asshole who likes to poke fun at everyone.” He took Mickey’s hand. “I love you. I want you to be my boyfriend.”

Mickey blushed and tried to take his hand away. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Mick, you’ve been my boyfriend for a long time. We just haven’t labelled it like that. It won’t change anything, it’s just a label and we’ll be quiet about it.”

Mickey nodded. “Alright.”

 

* * *

 

Mickey stood at the door to the Gallagher house and Ian opened the door.  Mickey cleared his throat before speaking. “Hi.”

“Hi, are you ready for dinner?” Ian smiled and then reached for Mickey’s hand and pulled him into the house. “I told Fiona that I had a plus one.”

Mickey nodded. “Okay.” He was hesitant, but he felt better that Ian was with him. Ian calmed him and he felt a little better.

A moment later he was standing in the kitchen and reaching for Ian’s hand.

“Fi, my plus one is here.”

Fiona finished adding some spices to the dinner. “Okay, one second.” She then turned around. “M-Mickey.” She then extended her hand and shook Mickey’s. “Glad to have you here for dinner.” There was a slight look of shock on her face for a moment and then it returned to normal. “We’re having chicken for dinner.”

Mickey nodded and then squeezed Ian’s hand. “Sounds good. Thanks for letting me have dinner here.”

“No problem. Ian was really excited about bringing you,” Fiona said with a smile.

Mickey nodded and then sat down at the table with Ian as all the Gallagher’s began swarming in, greeting him. He was out of his element, but it wasn’t that bad. He said ‘hi’ to everyone and then they started eating. They didn’t discuss Ian and his relationship and they seemed to be accepting overall.

After dinner was finished and the dishes put away, Mickey went upstairs with Ian and got ready for bed.

He slipped under the sheets and then rolled on his side and held Ian.

“It wasn’t that bad, huh?”

Mickey shook his head. “No, it was okay.”

“That’s because our relationship is okay. You’re mine and I’m yours and that’s fuckin’ that.”

Mickey nodded. “That’s fuckin’ that.”


	61. Death is a Misnomer

**February 10th 2031**

 

Mickey nervously sat on the couch clutching Ian’s hand. “I don’t like this, Ian.”

Ian smoothed Mickey’s hair and then sighed. “It’ll be alright, Mick. We have to do this. It’s Yev’s sixteenth birthday.”

“Don’t even go there. He can’t be sixteen. He was just a baby yesterday and he’s still our baby.”

Ian chuckled softly and kissed Mickey’s cheek. “He’s our baby, but he’s sixteen.”

Yev came running down the stairs. “Dad’s play it cool, okay? I don’t want her to freak out. I don’t want you guys to freak her out.”

Ian laughed and then stood up and tried to smooth down Yev’s jet black hair that was sticking up in the air. “It’ll be good, Yev. We promise. We’ll act as cool as possible, but we are your dads.” He then gently straightened Yev’s tie. “You look so much like your Papa.”

“Yeah, I know, dad. You tell me like everyday how much I look like him.”

Mickey stood up and then went over to them and wrapped his arms around him. “I love you, kiddo.” He then kissed the top of Yev’s head and Yev tried to pull away. “Hey, you’re always gonna be our baby,” Mickey reminded him. “No matter how old you get, you’ll always be our baby.”

Ian nodded and then rested his hand on Yev’s shoulder. “I’ll try to keep Papa as calm as I can, but I can’t promise much more than that.” He smiled and then patted his shoulder. “If she doesn’t like us then that’s alright, she doesn’t have to be the biggest fan of your crazy dads, but we at least want to meet her.”

Mickey nodded. “That’s true. I want to know about who you always talk about.” He smiled and then sighed. “I’ll be in the kitchen finishing up dinner.”

“I’ll go with him.” Ian then looked at Yev. “Remember, Yev, no girls in the bedroom,” Ian reminded him. “Unless you feel absolutely ready to engage in...  well... that part of life, come talk to me or Papa first so that we know and we don’t bother you. We don’t want you to be worried about anything relating to that. If you have questions ask or look it up on the internet if you don’t want to ask, but use one of those government run sex-ed pages so that you get the right information. But remember to put a condom on. We’re not ready for grandkids. Not for a while.”

Yevgeny laughed. “I know dad, I don’t want a kid, and I know to wear a condom.” He hugged Ian. “And she’s not interested in sex yet, and I’m not really either.”

Ian nodded. “I just want to make sure that you’re prepared and you know what to do if things change, Yev.” He then kissed Yev’s cheek and went into the kitchen to check on Mickey.

“He’s not having sex is he?” Mickey asked worriedly as he poured pasta onto all the plates. 

Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist and then kissed his cheek. “Nope, not interested in it really and she’s not ready. No grandbabies yet.”

“Thank god,” Mickey said as he then put green beans on each plate. “I’m so fuckin’ glad.” He then smiled and brought the food over to the table and then put it out. 

Ian nodded. “I’m glad too.” He sighed. “We raised him well and he knows that he should wait until he feels ready, whenever that is. I’m proud of him.” He went into the fridge and got out two non-alcoholic beers for him and Mickey.

A moment later Adam was standing in the kitchen with Tori. 

“Dad! Pa! She’s here!” Tori said excitedly. 

Mickey nodded. “Alright, sweetheart.” 

Adam sat down at the table with a tablet in his hands. 

“Adam, you know the rules, buddy. No tablet at the table,” Mickey reminded him as he ruffled Adam’s hair. 

Adam handed Mickey the tablet and then stared at the food. “Hungry.”

“Full sentence,” Mickey prompted as he brought over Adam’s food, knowing fully well that making Adam refrain from eating was going to be a problem, so he decided to let him start. 

Adam sighed. “I’m hungry, papa.”

Mickey smiled and nodded. “Here you go, kiddo.”

Yevgeny entered the kitchen holding the hand of a girl his age with quite wavy hair and green eyes, she was dressed modestly and she looked really nice. “Dads, this is Emma.”

Emma smiled and then extended her hand to Ian. “Hello, Mr. Milkovich. Nice to meet you.”

“Just call me Ian,” he said with a laugh. “Nice to meet you, Emma.”

Emma nodded and then she extended her hand to Mickey. “Nice to meet you too.”

Mickey shook her hand with a smile. “You can call me Mickey.”

The girl smiled and nodded. “Sounds good.”

A moment later everyone was seated at the kitchen table and Raskol was lying underneath Mickey’s seat awaiting the moment when any food would drop on the floor. 

“So, Emma, what’s your favorite subject?” Ian asked as he spread butter on his slice of French bread. 

Emma smiled. “Science.”

Mickey nodded. “Yev likes science too.”  He then looked over at Adam who was growing irritable. “Adam, you can put your dishes in the sink and then you’re free.”

Adam got down from his seat and the moment he did, Raskol popped up and walked over to him, demanding to be pet. He led Raskolnikov over to the dog bed in the kitchen and curled up in it with him.

Mickey chuckled and then smiled. “Keeping Raskol company?”

Adam nodded and then began to pet him. 

“So what do your parents do?” Ian asked as he turned his attention back to Emma and Yev.

Emma wiped the corner of her mouth with her napkin and then put it back in her lap, her manners were impeccable. “My dad’s a CO... correctional officer for Cook County Jail.”

Mickey gulped. “Oh, that’s a hard job.”

“You know someone who works there?” Emma asked.

Mickey chuckled. “Well... no... My father was locked up there several times before he went to prison.” He cleared his throat. “And I... uh... served some time there for a wrongful conviction... and some... other stuff.” 

Emma nodded and then looked away for a moment. “Oh.”

Yev interjected, “Pa’s not a criminal anymore. He hasn’t done anything bad since I was born.”

Ian nodded and then sipped his non-alcoholic beer. He knew that the conversation had turned very awkward and he didn’t know what to do. 

“That’s right, kiddo. You and Dad pulled me outta that life pretty darn fast,” Mickey said with a smile as he ruffled Yev’s hair. “Made me clean up my life.”

Emma looked a little shocked and they didn’t really talk again until the doorbell rang.

Ian went to go answer the door and a tall dark haired man who was at least in his early forties came through to the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks. 

“I thought that when I heard the name ‘Milkovich’  I was going to be met with someone I didn’t know. Musta been pretty stupid, huh, Death?” The man asked in a deep voice.

Ian stood at the entrance to the room, looking confused.

“Well, nice to see you too, C.O. Charles,” Mickey said as he stood up from the table.

Emma’s father extended his hand. “Heard that you’re a model citizen now. Glad to see that you’re doing better, Milkovich.”

Mickey shook his hand. “Proved all you guys wrong. Been clean and unoffending for sixteen years now.”

C.O. Charles smiled and then smoothed Emma’s hair. “That’s what I like to hear. I’m glad to hear that your father passed... I don’t know if that’s the nicest thing to say, but you two never were really connected.”

“It’s a good thing he’s gone,” Mickey said as he sipped his non-alcoholic beer.

Emma’s father patted Mickey’s shoulder. “And I see that you lived up to your nickname in another way than everyone originally thought. Glad about that.”

Mickey nodded and smiled. “Yep. Wouldn’t dream about messing my life up now.” 

Adam and Raskol got up from the dog bed and then walked past Mickey and Ian. “Daddy, Pa, going to bed.”

Mickey nodded and then smiled at Adam. “Alright, baby, I’ll be up in a few minutes, start getting ready so we can read a book before you have to go to bed.”

Adam nodded and then went upstairs. 

Emma’s father smiled and then shook Mickey’s hand again. “Nice to see that you are doing well.”

Mickey smiled and then excused himself to go upstairs and read to Adam.

 

Three Hours later...

 

“She was nice. I really think that she is a good first girlfriend for Yev,” Ian said as he pulled up his pajama pants. He then stretched his back and then met Mickey in the bathroom and began to brush his teeth. 

Mickey spat out the toothpaste and then smiled. “She was. I think that she’ll be good for him. A good outside influence.” He then yawned and wiped the sides of his mouth. “Can’t fuckin’ believe her dad was C.O. Charles.”

“Yeah, that was a little weird. So, your nickname was ‘death’?” Ian spat out his toothpaste and turned on the water to his sink.

“Yep, everyone thought I was gonna end up like Terry and so they called me ‘death’. It was also a misnomer since I was pretty fuckin' weak in terms of prison types. Terry was also known as ‘Satan’, and death and Satan kinda go together so...” Mickey sighed. “Things sure do change.” 

Ian nodded and then kissed Mickey’s forehead. “Yep. I’m proud of you for changing for our family. Best gift you could ever give to me.”

Mickey smiled and kissed Ian’s cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too, now let’s head to bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm glad I finally got to update this. Does anyone have any ideas for future chapters? I'm starting to run out of ideas and so ideas would be very appreciated. :) Thank you for reading :)


	62. Back in Time

_**July 13th 2012** _

 

 __  
  
“Lights out!”

Mickey stared up at the bottom of the mattress above him listening to Jonah tapping on the cell wall. “Man, can you fuckin’ stop? It’s pissin’ me off.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Jonah replied.

Mickey rolled on his side and closed his eyes. “Fuck, I wanna go home.”

He heard Jonah sigh. “You miss him right?”

“Who?” Mickey asked as he tried to pull the thin sheets up more.

“You fuckin’ know who.” Jonah sighed. “That guy that you were seeing on the outside.”

Mickey tried to pull up his covers again and his feet popped out from the other side of the blanket and he groaned. “No. He’s no one to me.” It hurt for Mickey to say that. It wasn’t true. He had no idea how Jonah had found out that he was gay and that he had had a boyfriend on the outside, but he knew that somehow Jonah had found out. 

“Bull, I know that you still have feelings for him.” 

Mickey squeezed his eyes shut and then managed to get himself under the blanket enough to be slightly comfortable. “Doesn’t matter if I’ve got feelin’s for him. My dad would fuckin’ kill me if he knew that I had fucked another guy.”

Jonah sighed and then responded, “You know that you can talk to me about him or anything right? I haven’t told anyone anything. I’ve had my fair share of gay sex and I know about how risky it is to be gay in here.”

“I miss him, but he’s never going to want to be with me again. Why would he? I’m a fuck up.” Mickey scratched his scalp and then sighed. “He’s to perfect and pretty to be with someone like me.”

“Pretty? That’s a new word that you're using to describe him,” Jonah said as he started drawing pictures on the wall with his fingers. “What does he look like?”

Mickey sighed and then covered his eyes with his arm. “He’s a redhead. He’s got this crazy bright red hair. He’s incredibly strong and he’s got these amazing muscles. He wants to be in the army. He’s got these beautiful green eyes too.” 

“The way you talk about him makes it seem like you love him.”

Mickey scoffed. “I don’t love him.” He rolled on his side. 

Thoughts about Ian started streaming through his head and immediately he started feeling guilty for saying that he didn’t love Ian. He didn’t understand his feelings for Ian, all he knew was that he wanted to be close to Ian all the time and he wanted to sleep with Ian all the time. If that was love, maybe he was in love.

He heard Jonah fall asleep and he kept thinking of Ian.

Mickey thought about Ian’s hands, how big they were and how they felt wrapped around his cock. He missed the feeling of being held by him and feeling his hands on his skin. The feeling of how big and strong Ian was and how safe he felt being around him. He missed Ian playing with his hair when they cuddled and Ian whispering sweet things to him, praises of how he was a ‘good boy’ and ‘so fuckin’ brave’. Ian knew all of his kinks and all of his weird habits and he didn’t judge him for them. He accepted Ian’s odd quirks and he actually loved them. Ian had been the sole thing keeping him sane at home and whenever Terry was a dick and Mickey couldn’t cope with it, he would text Ian and ask to talk to him. He wanted to be in Ian’s arms right at that moment, but he couldn’t and he was upset about that. If that meant he loved Ian, maybe he did... and Mickey was starting to think that maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. 

Mickey continued staring at the ceiling until finally he fell asleep.

He woke up at the shouting of ‘count!’. His eyes shot open and then he got out of bed just as Jonah was getting off the top bunk. 

They made their way out of their cell and then stood looking at the rest of the pod as they were counted.

“11K350, Jonah Kanter,” the correctional officer said as he checked off that Jonah was there. “12M246, Mikhalio Milkovich.”

Mickey stood straight and then watched as the correctional officer stepped closer to him. “Milkovich, go pack your stuff. You’ve got twenty minutes.”

Mickey nodded and then turned around and went back into the cell and began to collect all his stuff, which was nothing except a photo of Ian. He didn’t have anything of real value in his cell to bring to his next destination, whether that be another detention facility or maybe home, but more likely than not, he was going to another facility. 

He shoved the photo that he had taken of Ian with his phone into his pocket and then went out to the Pod and the correctional officer approached him. “Let’s go sign some paperwork.”

Mickey followed the officer and then was led to a small room and the officer brought over some paperwork. 

“Sign these and then you’ll be able to be released. The bus will take you back to the main jail and you’ll be dropped off there. Your sister was contacted and she’ll be there to pick you up.”

Mickey did a bit of a double take. “I’m going home?” He asked. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. 

“Yep, you’re going home, Milkovich.”

Mickey signed the paper and then looked up at the officer, knowing what was going to happen already.

The officer then led Mickey to the waiting area, left, and he returned to Mickey with a bag with all of Mickey’s stuff. 

Mickey went into the bathroom and rapidly changed into the clothes that he had worn when he had been brought in and he then was taken to a bus with several people who were also getting released. 

He sat on the bus and jiggled his leg up and down excitedly. He was thrilled to be free again, going home was a different story, but he was excited to try to go and see Ian. He hoped that Ian hadn’t forgotten him while he had been away, and that they could be together. He wanted to be with Ian, but he didn’t know how to say it.

As the bus pulled up to Cook County Jail, Mickey sighed a sigh of relief and got in line to get off the bus. When he stepped off the bus, he walked into the police station and finished up some paperwork before he was allowed to leave. He opened the door and then saw Ian and Mandy. 

His heart started pounding and he would have given anything to have been alone with Ian right at that moment.  He wanted to run up to Ian and jump into his arms and never let go. 

They were talking to each other and Mickey couldn’t make out what they were saying. 

His mouth then started to run. “What the hell’s he doing here?” He knew he had fucked up but he decided to go with it. 

“Hey, Mick,” Ian said, a cheeky look on his face that Mickey just wanted to kiss off. 

He was dressed in a white shirt and dark pants that perfectly hugged his muscles and showed off all of Mickey’s favorite parts. Mickey tried not to think about how fucking sexy Ian looked. 

“He thought I needed protection,” Mandy responded smugly. 

Mickey almost laughed. “Oh, yeah? Trust me, you may think you know my sister,” he went in to huge Mandy. “But you don’t know my sister until you’ve fought my sister.” He hugged her tightly and rocked side to side a little in an effort to show her that he had really missed her. He looked at Ian. “She’s protecting your ass.”

“You smell like barbecue sauce.”

Mickey reached for her breast and twisted her nipple. “Smell like what? Smell like what?” He knew that he probably shouldn’t have done it... but sibling rivalry was a Milkovich trait. 

Mandy got angry, and Mickey knew that it was rightfully so. She put her hand on Mickey’s head grabbing his hair and forcing his head down. “What did dad tell you?!”

He turned to his right to try to break away from Mandy’s clutches. “Ow! Fuck the police?” He managed to break away and regain his balance, pressing his hand to his head,

“No titty twisters now that I’m a ‘C’ cup.”

He made a hissing noise as he tried to rub the sore spot on his head. “‘C’ cup? Bitch, you wish.” 

Ian looked particularly amused by what was going on until Mickey turned around. 

Mickey then turned to the prison guards, “Ay! Fuck you, fuck you, and especially fuck you,” he shouted as he pointed out the specific guards and then gave the finger to the guards. 

Ian pulled him away wrapping his arm around Mickey’s shoulder and the other around Mandys. “All right, jesus, let’s get out of here before they throw you back in.”

They got into the car that was out front and eventually they got away from Mandy. 

“Meet me at the dug out tonight? I gotta go help Fiona with some stuff.”

Mickey shrugged. “Maybe... we’ll see. I might end up fuckin’ sleepin’.”

“Well, I’ll be there.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So I'm really running out of ideas... I really want to keep this going so if you have ideas for future chapters, please let me know and I would be thrilled to fill them! :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> P.S. And yea! Jonah's back... well kinda... technically the other was after this so... well...


	63. Have Family, Will Travel P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first chapter of a travel arch. This was suggested by Sherry and maryellen590. :)

 

**July 19th 2027**

  


Mickey closed the trunk of the car and then looked at Ian. “Time to wake up the kids?” It was the time that he was dreading. He didn’t want to wake them up this early in the morning. It was only five o’clock and yet they needed to get on the road.

Ian nodded and then kissed Mickey’s cheek before putting the extra bag for Adam into the back. “Yeah, just remind them that they can sleep in the car once we’re on the road.” He pulled the handle on the van and then it automatically began to close.

Mickey locked the car and then took Ian’s hand. “They still won’t be happy about having to be up this early, especially Adam. He’ll be a mess.”

“Well, if he needs one of us, one of us can sit in the back with him.” Ian reminded Mickey. “I think that he’ll be fine though. We just need to take breaks every so often so that he can get out and run around for a little bit. We’ll put on a movie for him and Tori or Yev can change it for him when it ends. We both know that taking him on a plane would be more stressful for him.” They entered the house and then headed upstairs.

Mickey yawned and rubbed his face. He was exhausted since he hadn’t slept that night. Ian had gotten about five hours in since they both agreed that it would be better if Ian started out driving, so Mickey had stayed up double and triple checking that everything they needed was packed and that everything that Adam would need was within reach from his carseat. He also packed snacks and food for the crew so that they wouldn’t have to stop too frequently.

Ian went into Yev’s room to wake him up and Mickey went into Tori’s room.

He sat at the edge of her bed and smoothed her hair. “Sweetheart, you gotta wake up. It’s time to start the drive to New Jersey.”

“I don’t wanna go, leave me here with Uncle Lip and Aunt Mandy.” Tori rolled over in bed and then tried to cover her face with her pillow.

Mickey chuckled and then pulled the pillow away. “Come on, honey. You can't stay with them because they are flying out tomorrow. You can sleep in the car and we’re not leaving you here while we go visit Aunt Kata. Not going to happen.”

Tori sat up and then pushed her hair back with her hands. “Fine, but leave. I have to change.”

Mickey nodded and then stood up and left Tori’s room, shutting the door behind him. He then went into Adam’s room and sat on the edge of his bed. “Adam, kiddo, we gotta get going.”

“I don’t want to go,” Adam whined as he tried to go back to bed.

Mickey gently pulled Adam into his arms and then kissed Adam’s cheek. “Come on, munchkin.” He then picked Adam up and carried him over to his dresser. “What shirt do you want to wear?”

Adam looked into the drawer where there were a few shirts that were not packed. “Mmmm.... BAZINGA!”

Mickey chuckled and then picked up the shirt. He knew that Ian had purposely left it in the dresser because they knew that it was Adam’s favorite shirt in the entire world and that he would probably have been asking to wear it if it hadn’t been available, and so to prevent a meltdown, Ian had left it out. He then reached into the other drawer and pulled out a pair of the adaptive pants that they had bought for Adam.

Adam had severe sensitivity to clothing and the majority of the sensitivity came from pants. So, through much research, Mickey and Ian had found a brand of pants that made pants with flat seams so they didn’t irritate Adam.

Mickey brought Adam over to the bed and quickly changed him.

As Mickey was slipping the shirt onto Adam, Ian came into the room.

“See, daddy planned well.” He kissed the top of Adam’s head and then ruffled his hair. “Mick, can you go get some breakfast ready for him and I can finish getting him and the others ready to go.”

“Yeah. Sounds good.” Mickey got up from the bed and then headed out of the room.   
Ian sat on the bed and then pulled socks onto Adam’s small feet.

He started to grow upset because he hated socks and he hated putting them on even more.

“Hey, kiddo. Let’s sing a song, kiddo. Which one do you want?”

Adam smiled and then allowed his dad to put his shoes on. “Soft Kitty.”

Ian laughed and nodded. “How did I guess that that would be the case?”

Ian and Mickey had been watching _The Big Bang Theory_ one night and Adam had had a nightmare and so Mickey had gotten out of bed and brought him into the master bedroom. It was from that moment that Adam became obsessed with the show, so much so that he always wanted ‘Soft Kitty’ sung to him when he was upset. Mickey had been glad that it was something other than the paleontologist song, which had been the chosen song since he was a year old.

“Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr.”

Ian was glad that it was a shorter song, and so he was happy to sing it, especially because for whatever reason it calmed Adam.

Mickey and him had theorized that it was due to the fact that Adam felt like he could relate to Sheldon. Sheldon was socially awkward, as was Adam, and he was also very intelligent as well.

Mickey came to the doorway and smiled. “Let’s get going, boys.”

Ian scooped up Adam and then they all gathered at the front door and then went out to the car.

Ian put Adam into the car and began to strap him into his car seat as Mickey gave a lecture to the oldest two about how they might have to help Adam with little things and that if he need to get into the back of the car, Yevgeny was going to move to the front seat.

Both Tori and Yev agreed to helping Adam if needed and then Mickey got into his seat in the passenger’s side and Ian got in as Yevgeny and Tori loaded themselves and their backpacks into the car.

Finally they were on the road and luckily Adam was remaining calm since Ian and Mickey had put _The Big Bang Theory_ on. It was a fun show to watch in the car since they all enjoyed it and it was funny.

They made it to the first rest stop without any real problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter and so hopefully the next few will be longer. I'm hoping to get a good four to six chapters out of this prompt (I really don't map out my chapters and so I can't say how long it will be yet). Unfortunately I was originally asked to include the dog, however due to the timeline Raskol would not have been around yet. However, I might do another short travel fic with Raskol down the line. Also I love The Big Bang Theory and I thought that it would be cute for Adam to like Sheldon and the 'Soft Kitty' song... and also find it hilarious because the creators had issues with the the creator of the songs family members (it was based off another song and slightly altered) and so that was why they stopped having the song, much to my dismay. I sing it a lot... :)
> 
> Anyways, 
> 
> Thank you for reading! :)


	64. Have Family, Will Travel P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter of this arch :)

**July 19th 2027**

 

Ian scooped Adam out of the car and sat him on his hip. “Alright, breakfast time.” He paused the episode of  _ The Big Bang Theory _ that they were on and then grabbed Adam’s little backpack.

Yevgeny and Tori got out of the car and then Mickey got out. 

“Alright, bathrooms and then food,” Mickey said as he closed his door. 

Ian laughed and then kissed Mickey’s cheek. “They can do things in whatever order they want. They won’t forget to go.”

Mickey shrugged. “Just want to make sure.”

Tori stuck her tongue out at her dad and then smiled. “Papa, were not five. We can figure it out on our own.”

Mickey kissed the top of her head and then ruffled her hair. “I know, I just want to make sure that we aren’t going to have to stop again. We want to try to get there as soon as possible.”

Yevgeny pulled a face and then looked at Mickey. “Dad, we’re stopping in Pennsylvania. We don’t have to be as careful about time. It’s not like we’re driving straight through.”

Mickey nodded as they went into the rest stop. “Yeah, but we want to get there as soon as we can so that dad and I can relax.”

Yevgeny and Tori rolled their eyes and then left Mickey and Ian and head in the direction of the restrooms. 

Ian put Adam down and took his hand as him and Mickey followed their two other kids towards the restroom. 

Five minutes later, they emerged from the restroom and found Tori and Yevgeny standing and looking at a large map of the United States, pointing out places that they wanted to go. 

“Let’s go get breakfast, kids,” Ian announced as he scooped up Adam and handed Mickey the little backpack. 

Mickey swung the backpack on his back just as Yev and Tori came over. 

“Where are we going for breakfast?” They asked in unison.

Ian shrugged. “Anywhere that looks good.” He looked around. Nothing was particularly optimal. There was a McDonalds, which would have been the clear direction him and Mickey would have gone when they were young, Burger King, and a Starbucks.

Yev shrugged. “Starbucks is fine.”

“Good, I need coffee,” Ian said as they started heading over to the small coffee shop. 

Mickey laughed and then playfully slugged Ian in the shoulder with a bright smile. “Excuse you, Mr. I-need-my-coffee, but who was up all night puttin’ your shit in the car?”

Ian smiled and chuckled before kissing Mickey’s cheek as they got in line. “You did, and you can have coffee too.”

Adam looked up at Mickey and then tugged on his shirt for attention. “Papa, I’m going to go get a table!”

Mickey nodded and then ruffled Adam’s hair. “Alright, buddy. Get the best table you can find, okay?”

“Okay, papa!” Adam smiled brightly and then went running off to the seating area and found a table near a window not far away. 

Mickey kept his eye on Adam as they waited. His anxiety started to take over when the line wasn’t moving fast. “Ian, I need to watch him. I’m not comfortable with him sitting alone.”

Ian pressed a soft kiss to Mickey’s forehead and then nodded. “Alright, do you want a black coffee?”

“Yeah, and a cinnamon chip scone.” He then went over to the table and sat with Adam. 

Mickey felt very close to all of his children, and he felt very protective of them too, but with Adam it was even more extreme. He was worried that someone would take advantage of him or that Adam would start having an anxiety attack. 

Mickey smiled at Adam and then leaned over and fixed his hair. “Daddy’s getting you a scone and orange juice.” He then pulled out Adam’s coloring book from the backpack and handed it to him along with a packet of crayons. 

Adam began to color in the picture of The Little Mermaid happily with Mickey. He bit his lip as he colored in Ariel’s hair, but he didn’t color it in fully. He then colored in the tail with a blue color. “Papa, when you met daddy did you love him?”

Mickey chuckled and then nodded. “I thought that he was very nice, but I was only a little older than you when I first met him, but when I met him again later on, yes, I suppose you could say that I loved him. I love him now and I love you too.” Mickey then looked over at Adam’s coloring job after finishing the fish and the seaweed. “You gotta finish coloring in her hair, buddy.”

“No.” He then shook his head and then pointed to the character. “This is daddy.” He then pointed to prince Eric and said, “that’s you.”

Mickey smiled and then chuckled a little as Adam colored in “Ian’s” seashell bra bright green. “Seems so.” He ruffled his son’s hair. “Very creative, bud.”

Ian came over to the table with Tori and Yevgeny helping him carry all the food over. “Whatcha boys up to?”

“Coloring,” Mickey said as he and Adam finished coloring in the page. He gave Adam a high five and Adam smiled brightly in return. 

Ian sat down at the table and passed out the food. “So, how was the first little part of the drive?”

“It sucked,” Yev complained before biting into his sandwich. 

Ian chuckled. “Well, in order to get to New Jersey, we have to drive there.” He began to eat and then the rest of the family followed. 

Once their breakfast had been consumed, it was back to the car.

They drove until lunch time, and eventually Mickey had fallen asleep in the passengers side for a much needed nap.

Ian drove along happily since the kids were in the back asleep as well as his husband. There was peace and quiet for once and he got to be alone with his thoughts for a rare chunk of time.

He thought about how far him and Mickey had come through the years and that they had blown away everybody’s expectations. Ian was still wildly in love with Mickey and Mickey seemed to still be wild about him. The kids were fantastic, even on the days when they all were arguing and whining and complaining, Ian couldn’t think of having a life without them. He was proud of Mickey for throwing himself into working a ‘normal’ job, or at least more normal than being a full time criminal. Ian was thrilled that their criminal pasts hadn’t caught up to them. Their life was definitely theirs. 

Ian drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove on cruise control. 

His thoughts went to the book that he was writing. 

Mickey had been so supportive of him writing his book and had really thought that it was a great idea. The book was about Ian’s life and also about his life with Mickey and how he had grown and gotten out of the south side. He had been told by Mickey that the book was really good, and he didn’t think Mickey would tell him something untrue. Mickey was a hard judge of things and so the compliment had meant a lot. Mickey had even recommended funny stories that could be put into the book. The book he was writing was also part of the reason for this vacation. For one day of the vacation, Ian was going to go to the publisher that had become interested in the book. Of course family was the main reason, but the added on aspect of the book getting picked up was an extra reason to go. 

Ian drove carefully with a classical music station playing until they reached the next oasis at lunch time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so sorry for the wait, but life has been crazy. Things are calming down now and I'll be going back to school. I can't guarantee when the next update will be, but it will hopefully be soon!
> 
> Thank you for reading! :)


	65. Have Family, Will Travel P3

 

_**July 20th 2027** _

 

Mickey sat in the back of the car with Adam next to him. He was trying to calm him by stroking his hair and talking to him quietly. He knew that Adam had had enough of the car ride and that even though they were close to finally reaching their destination, he was not calming down.

Yev groaned. “Papa, can you get him to stop. He’s been crying forever.” He rested his face in his hand and covered his eyes. “Please.”

Tori had her headphones on and was listening it music so that she didn’t have to hear the chaos. 

“Yev, I’m trying everything I can right now. He wants to go run around and he’s having trouble.”

Ian looked in the rearview mirror. “Do we need to pull over? Stop at a rest stop?”

Mickey shook his head. “No, we just need to get this over and done with.” Mickey then reached into Adam’s backpack and pulled out Adam’s blanket and his pacifier. 

He and Ian had been trying to wean Adam from both, but it was not working and they had started to give up. The doctors kept telling them that they had to break the habit, but at they were pretty sure that it was a method of self soothing and so they allowed it when it was really necessary. 

Mickey pulled out a burp cloth, which had become “meltdown saliva and boogy cloth”. Mickey tried to wipe off Adam’s face but Adam turned his head, not allowing it. “Adam, let papa wipe your face off. When we’re done I’ll give you your pacifier, okay?” He said gently as his hand gently smoothed Adam’s hair. 

Adam sniffled and nodded before allowing Mickey to wipe his face.

Mickey carefully wiped his face and then put the cloth in the wet bag that they had purchased specifically for the meltdown cloths. “Alright, all done. We’re almost at Aunt Kata’s.” He kissed Adam’s forehead and then tucked Adam’s blanket under the boy’s arm and stuck the pacifier into Adam’s mouth. “All better.” He kissed Adam’s cheek. “You’re doing so good, kiddo. We’re almost done with the car trip and then I’ll watch a movie with you when we get there. Okay?”

Adam nodded. 

Ian looked in the rearview mirror and smiled at his husband and son. Mickey had changed drastically since they had met, not internally but externally. He had always known that Mickey was good, and able to love, but he knew that Mickey had been very scared to show it. Mickey didn’t like looking weak, thanks to how Terry had treated him as a kid. If you loved someone, in Mickey’s former opinion, you were weak since there was someone that someone could take away from you or threaten you through. Ian had slowly worked out the reasons for Mickey’s previous thoughts and had talked to him about how Mickey didn’t have to give up his ability to love and be loved, and that it didn’t make him weaker, it made him stronger. After some time had passed, Mickey began to realize that it was true and he had become much more open. Sometimes Ian thought that his husband was more affectionate than himself. Ian had always had a way with kids and he loved his children to death, but Mickey even topped that. Mickey would always make himself available to the kids and he was always thrilled to have a hug.

 

Mickey cuddled Adam until they reached the house. 

Finally when they arrived at the house, the kids got out of the car and Mickey helped Adam out before going to the trunk and helping Ian drag out the suitcases.

The tall, dark haired woman appeared at the door and ran out. “Hello!”

Mickey smiled and hugged her. “Hello, Kata.”

“So good to see you all,” she said as she hugged Ian. “George is at work, but he’ll be home around 5.” She then hugged all the kids. “How was the drive up?”   
Adam looked up at her. “Stupid!” 

Mickey chuckled and then scooped Adam up in his arms. “It wasn’t too bad, although Adam really didn’t like it as I think you can tell, but we’re here now.” He rubbed Adam’s back.

Adam rested his head on Mickey’s shoulder. “Naptime, papa. It’s naptime.”

“You don’t have to take a nap today, kiddo.” Mickey explained. 

Adam started to get agitated. “Daddy says I have to nap.”

Ian reached over and smoothed Adam’s hair. “Not today, buddy. You don’t have to today. It’s a special day.” He sighed and then looked at Mickey and then at Kata. “We need to put him down. I’m sorry, it’s just his schedule and he can’t deal with getting off schedule.” 

Kata nodded and then smiled. “It’s perfectly alright. I’ll show Mickey upstairs and then come back and help you unload the car.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ian took a suitcase out of the car and then Yev took the handle. 

“I’ll take it upstairs, dad.” Yev then followed Mickey into the house with Kata. 

They were lead into a room next to the second master bedroom. Mickey was very surprised that the house was so big, he knew that Kata’s husband was wealthy, but it was a shock that he was... well.. This wealthy.

There were two beds next to each other. Mickey had been glad that there were two beds in one room so that Yev could keep an eye on Adam, even though they were pretty sure that he would just end up in Ian and Mickey’s bed as per usual. 

Yev put the suitcase down and then unzipped the suitcase and pulled out a stack of sheets, a comforter, and a pair of pajamas. 

Kata and Yev went downstairs to help Ian and Mickey sat Adam on the floor. “Stay there while I make the bed okay?”

Mickey then began the process of stripping the bed and applying the bedsheets from home and also the special sheet that they put under the bed that prevented the mattress from getting wet in the off chance that Adam had an accident. The accidents had become less common, but sometimes Yev still had problems at night. 

Ian came up just as Mickey was finishing making the bed with the other two suitcases. “Alright, little man, let’s get your pajamas on and we’ll put you down for a nap.” Ian knelt down next to Adam. “How does that sound, kiddo?”

Adam nodded and then crawled over to his suitcase and unzipped it. “I want my planet pajamas.”

“They’re in there somewhere, buddy,” Ian said as Yevgeny went rummaging through all the clothes in his suitcase. 

Adam found his pajamas and brought them over to Ian.

Ian began to help Adam get changed as Mickey pulled back the covers and then patted the bed.

“All ready for you, kiddo.” 

Adam ran over to the bed and jumped in.

Mickey and Ian smiled and then sat at the edge of the bed. 

Mickey smoothed Ian’s hair and then kissed Adam’s cheek. “You’re getting so big, kiddo.” He then looked over at Ian and then back at Adam. “Daddy and I are so proud that you did so well in the car. You were such a brave big boy.” He then kissed Adam’s cheek once more. “Alright, time for your nap, kiddo.” He got up from the side of the bed. 

Ian kissed Adam’s cheek and then followed Mickey out of the room. 

“He did so well until the end of the car trip.” Mickey smiled at Ian. “He’s such a sweet kid.”

Ian wrapped his arm around Mickey’s waist. “He really is. I’m so proud of him. I mean he’s sleeping in a bed that isn’t his, ours, or Yev’s. That’s progress. Really good progress.” 

Mickey nodded. “He’s doing so well and I think that all the occupational therapy is doing its work. It’s fucking expensive, but it’s doing the trick.” He kissed Ian’s cheek and then took his hand. “Let’s go downstairs.”

Ian nodded and then they went to the kitchen where Kata was sitting with glasses of diet coke out for them. Yev and Tori were exploring the backyard which was the start of a forest. 

“He needs a lot of help.” Kata mentioned off-handedly. 

Mickey sat down with Ian and then nodded. 

Normally Ian would expect that Mickey would get defensive, but he knew that if Mickey wasn’t getting defensive. 

“We know. He has something called Aspergers. It means that he has issues with sensory overloading and sometimes he really struggles with being social and being put into unfamiliar situations. He’s working on it in a variety of therapies, and he’s learning quickly.” Mickey felt like he was rambling but he wanted to just get it all out and in the open. “It’s not that we don’t accept him for how he is, but in order to be as independent as he can be, it requires some extra help in learning some tasks. We want him to be as successful as he can be, even if that means he’ll still need live with us when he’s older. He’s really smart, he’s academically a year ahead, but socially, he really struggles. The therapies help ease social situations for him so that they don’t stress him out.” Mickey explained. 

Kata nodded. “He’s better since I last saw him.”

Ian smiled and nodded. “He’s been working really hard.” Ian looked around the room. 

Kata’s kitchen was immaculate and prestinely kept. All the appliances looked like they were top of the line and new. 

“The house is amazing, Kata,” Ian said as he continued looking around. 

Kata smiled and sipped her diet coke. “Thank you. It was a wedding gift from George. Better than where I was living in Ukraine. Some parts were nice, but I was not from a nice part. Meeting George at that bar when I came over to visit you two and Mandy was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Being long distance was difficult, but I’m happy that we’re together now. And I love America.”

Ian sipped his diet coke. “Where does he work?”

“He has a private plastic surgery practice in Manhattan. We live close enough so that he can practice there, but we can still live away from the city. I don’t want to live in the city anyways. We’re happy here.”

They continued chatting until there was a knock at the front door and the doorbell rang. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took a really long time. I've been working my ass off at school and I rarely get breaks. I've been trying to write as much as possible though and so hopefully I'll get a schedule for posting worked out soon. Thank you for your patience and for reading :)


	66. All Signs Pointing Westward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of the way that Yev was conceived if you get my drift.

**January 23rd 2033**

 

Ian and Mickey laid awake in bed. It was around one o’clock in the morning and for some reason they couldn’t get to sleep. 

“Ian... do you think that it’s too late to have another?” Mickey asked as he looked up at Ian. 

Ian raised an eyebrow. “Another what?”

Mickey sighed. “Another baby... number four.”

Ian pushed himself up with his elbow and then looked at Mickey with an odd look. “What?”

“You fuckin’ heard me, Ian,” Mickey teased. “Another baby. Another little boy or girl. Just one more.” He held Ian’s hand. “I just want to have another. I feel like four is the right number.”

Ian thought about it for a second. “I think that we should look into it. I wouldn’t mind another. We have enough love to go around... maybe having another would be really nice. We should ask Mandy if she would do it again for us and then we should wait and see, maybe talk it over a little more over time.” 

“Let’s ask the kids what they think before we ask Mandy. I want to make sure that they are on board,” Mickey suggested. 

Ian nodded and smiled. “We’ll talk to them about it and see what they think. I think that they won’t have an issues with it, but Yev is seventeen now and it might be weird for him.”

Mickey nodded. “We’ll see.” He curled up to Ian and closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep in Ian’s arms and Ian fell asleep so afterward. 

 

In the morning, the family was sitting around the table before the kids were due to head off to school. 

Ian cleared his throat. “So, papa and I have been talking and we think that we might want to have another baby. We have to talk about it a little more, but we wanted to ask for permission to continue talking about it.”

Tori’s face lit up and she smiled. “I want another sibling! I really really want to have another sibling.”

Adam nodded and then smiled brightly, a rare occurrence, but it was definite proof that he was on board.

Ian then looked at Yev, their first baby, who had helped bring Mickey and Ian together even before he was born. “Yevy, what do you think?”

Yev got up from the table and then stormed off. 

Mickey looked at Ian and then Ian looked back at Mickey.

“I’ll go talk to him.” Ian got up from the table and followed Yev up to Yev’s room. 

He knocked on the door and then opened it. “Yev?” 

Yevgeny was sitting on his bed and staring out the window. 

“What happened? You’ve seemed really off lately and papa and I are worried about you.”

“I’m fuckin’ fine, dad.”

Ian sighed. “Yev, something’s wrong and you’re not telling me. I can tell that something is wrong. Is it about the fact that papa and I want to have another baby?”

Yev looked at Ian harshly. “It’s about the fact that I’m a fuckin’ rape baby and nobody ever fuckin’ told me! That Adam and Tori were products of love and were wanted and I was born because of fuckin’ rape!”

Ian’s face turned white. “How do you know about that?”

“I got a fuckin’ letter in the mail.”

Ian shook his head, he looked as pale as a ghost. “Yev, it’s a complicated situation. Your father and I love you. We love you so much.” He rested his hand on top of Yev’s. “We were waiting until we were sure that you could mentally handle it.”

“I will never be able to handle it.”

Ian nodded. “I know that this is extremely hard for you.” He placed his hand on Yev’s shoulder. “I’m going to go get papa so that we can talk about this, okay?”

Ian got up from the bed and then headed downstairs and found Mickey. “Babe, we need to go talk to him.” He then kissed the top of Tori’s head. “Can you please watch out for Adam and make sure you get on the school bus on time?”

Tori agreed and so Ian and Mickey began to walk upstairs. 

“What’s up?” Mickey asked. 

“He knows about the... circumstances around his birth.”

Mickey looked at Ian. “How?”

“A letter in the mail, probably from Svetlana, I’m guessing.”

They reached the room and then both sat down on the bed next to Yevgeny. 

Mickey wrapped his arms around Yev. “I’m so sorry, Yev.”

“Why did you do it?” Yev asked aggressively. 

Mickey separated from Yev and looked him in the eyes. “Do what?”

Yev’s eyes narrowed. “You know what I mean. I should have gone to the police.”

“You have this totally upside down, Yev.”

Yev shook his head. “My mother said that ‘he forced me’.” 

Mickey shook his head and then stroked Yev’s hair. “It wasn’t me.” He took a deep breath. “Dad and I were dating and at the time, Fiona wasn’t trusted and so Dad was staying in juvenile housing. Your grandfather, Terry, was out of town, and I asked your dad to come and spend the weekend with me. My father caught us and he then called a woman who was a prostitute named Svetlana, who is your mother, and my father forced her to try to make me straight. Your dad was forced to watch as I was... well... raped. We later found out your mother was pregnant and Dad joined the army for his brief stint and then he came back and you were born.” Mickey smoothed Yev’s hair. “We loved you so much. Svetlana was not going to abort because of her religious views, but we wanted you. We would have done anything to have you.  Svetlana wanted to put you up for adoption, but dad and I said no. The moment we laid eyes on you, we knew that you were our son and we have loved you ever since.” 

Yev nodded and then hung his head low. “I’m sorry for accusing you.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s a confusing situation,” Ian said as he rubbed Yev’s back. “But just remember that you have always been wanted and loved and always will be.” He then sighed.  “Is something else wrong? You’ve been acting weird for the past few weeks.”

Yev shook his head and then was quiet for a moment before saying. “Yes.”

Mickey held Yev’s hand. “You can tell us anything.”

“Don’t be mad at me.”

Ian shook his head. “You know us. We might be frustrated, but we won’t be mad.”

Yev cleared his throat and then spoke softly. “I got into West Point and I’m accepting.”

Mickey and Ian looked at Yev, both white as sheets. 

“Wow,” Ian said softly before resting his hand on Yev’s shoulder. “I’m really proud of you.”

Mickey smiled and then wrapped his arm around Yev. “When did you apply? You didn’t even seem remotely interested in West Point when we were talking about college.”

“I applied in November. Reps came to school and then talked to people who were interested.”

Ian then sighed. “I hope that you did research and know that this is what you really want. You are going to be willingly signing away nine years to the U.S. Army when you accept and I want to make sure that you know that and do your research before you commit to it.”

Mickey nodded. “We support you in whatever you decide, but we want to make sure that you are sure about what you want to do.”

Yevgeny nodded. “I’ll go through all the information again and make a final decision.” He wanted to make sure that his parents knew that he was sure. He knew that the reason his dads were asking questions was because they wanted him to be happy and safe. “But I’m pretty sure that I want to go to school there.”

Ian nodded. “We just want to make sure that you feel like you’re making the right decision.” He then ruffled Yev’s hair. “I’m proud of you for working so hard in school, kiddo.” He then hugged Yev tightly. “Does Emma know?”

Yev nodded. “She does. She supports it and whatever I want to do.” 

“She’s a really sweet girl,” Ian said with a smile.

Mickey checked the time. “If you want to go to school, we gotta go now.”

Yev nodded and stood up. “I’ll go finish getting ready.” He left and ran downstairs. 

Mickey looked at Ian. “So, he’s joining up too.” He sighed. “I don’t know if it’s the right thing for him to do, Ian.”

“Mick, we need to support him. I think it’s a little off too, but it is his choice. We’ll give him the facts and talk about it, but if he continues to want to go to school there, then we should let him.”

Mickey nodded. “Okay, I should go take him to school.”

Ian kissed Mickey gently and then smiled. “I love you.”  
“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea and thought that I just needed to write it. The next chapter will be another from the Traveling arch. Furthermore, Ian says "willingly signing off 9 years of your life" because if you attend a military academy you go to school for four years and then have to serve a mandatory five years plus three years IRR (my dad did that but for the Navy). I thought that this was an interesting twist and hopefully I might continue this section of their life more later on.   
> Anywho, I hope that you enjoyed it and thank you for reading.


	67. Have Family, Will Travel P4

**July 25th 2027**

 

The trip to New Jersey had been fantastic. They had spent many days having fun and spending quality time with Mandy and Lip and their children. Today was their last day of fun before heading back to Chicago. They had decided that they wanted to go to a sculpture museum that happened to be outdoors and so they were now standing and walking around in the heat.

Adam was seated in his stroller and Yev and Tori walked ahead and lead them through the park. 

Lip was pushing Ava’s stroller with one arm wrapped around Mandy’s waist and Mickey and Ian were holding hands while Mickey’s free hand pushed the stroller. 

Mickey kissed Ian’s cheek when they neared an area that overlooked a pond. They found a bench and sat down at it. 

Ian carefully began to unbuckle Adam and let him out to run around with Yev and Tori, reminding him to be careful. 

Lip sat next to Mickey as Mandy left to go find the restroom. “He’s been getting so much better. Fuck, I don’t know how you two do it. Three kids, and one with some challenges and a business you run out of your home.”

“We do it because we wanted to have kids. When you accept the fact that you want children and you actually get pregnant, then you have to realize that no matter what the kids issues or abilities are, you have to adapt and learn to help them because you have helped them come into the world. It’s our responsibility. We wanted him, we love him, and whatever challenges he has or doesn’t have is what comes with him, and we’re okay with that.” Mickey smiled brightly. “And seeing him like this, running around chasing butterflies with Tori and Yev and watching them all grow up together, makes everything worthwhile. Seeing Yev growing up after being born into a shitty situation and doing so well, and not going down the same path that I went through when I was a teenager, is amazing. Tori is absolutely amazing and she’s doing so well in school and she’s so happy and excited about the world, and it’s really cool to watch her grow up.” He sighed and smiled. “I’m proud that they seem to have learned from my mistakes and that they care about their education and their happiness. I guess it’s all just part of the greatness of being a dad, you get to watch them become little people.”

Ian smiled and kissed Mickey’s head. “And you’re a great dad.” 

Mickey blushed. “Thanks. You are too.”

Lip smirked and then lifted Ava out of her stroller and sat her on his knee. “I never thought that I would say this, but I do aspire to be like the both of you. You seem to juggle things so well and I hope that I can do the same.”

“You will. You’ll learn how to manage what feels like fifteen things at once.” Mickey laughed.  “It’s not too hard to make it look like you have everything together.”

Lip smiled. “I think that Mandy and I are going to start trying for another soon. Maybe in the next year. One thing’s for sure though, we are not going to have as big a family as we grew up in.”

“Yeah, that’s for sure. At least there will always be cousins around for everyone to play with,” Ian pointed out. 

Mickey sighed. “I’m really hungry. There’s a restaurant close by and we can have lunch there if everyone wants to.”

Mandy came back and they all agreed to go and eat. 

 

Mickey got into bed and rested his head on Ian’s chest. “I think that we can agree that this trip was a success.” He smiled up at Ian.

Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s lips and nodded. “Yep. It was really good.” His fingers began to stroke Mickey’s hair, just like he liked it. “It was really sweet... what you said about the kids earlier. You’re such a great dad.”

“I never thought that I could love having children as much as I do. I love having the kids around and spending time with them and you.” Mickey kissed Ian’s chest. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ian’s fingers continued carding through Mickey’s hair. Eventually his fingers started trailing down Mickey’s spine. 

Mickey smiled and then chuckled. “If we’re gonna have some fun together, you better start now, Gallagher, or else I might fall sleep,” Mickey teased. 

“Alright, alright.” Ian’s hands slowly cupped Mickey’s ass cheeks. “My spoiled baby.” He kissed Mickey softly and then reached over to the lamp and turned off the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took a long time. I've been in rather poor health lately and extremely busy with school. 
> 
> The sculpture place is real and a very cool place.
> 
> This chapter is the last in this arc and I need to take some time and figure out what I'm going to do next because I am very stuck. I plan to go back to shorter one chapter pieces, but I need some time to think about what to add next so I don't feel like I will start repeating myself... and perhaps this is the end of this particular collection, but we'll see. 
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	68. He's Not Gone... Just Busy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had this idea and decided to do it.

**July 5th 2033**

 

“Mick, we gotta get going now. We can’t be late. We have to get in line and make sure to get Yev ready for the day.” Ian pushed Mickey’s hair out of his face. 

“If I don’t get out of bed then this day will not happen and we can move on to taking him home. Besides it’s five in the morning,” Mickey said as he pulled the covers up and grabbed a pillow. 

Ian was grateful that Yev was in the shower and that they were not having this argument in front of their son. “Mickey, this is going to happen. It’s Yev’s choice and he wants to do this. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of this either, but he wants this and he’s been working for it.”

Yev came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a green tee shirt. He ruffled his hair. “Working for what?”

“Nothing, papa’s just nervous. That’s all.” Ian hugged his son and then smoothed Yev’s hair. “We’re going to miss you a lot, kiddo. Make us proud and work hard. You’ve been preparing for this for a long time and we know that you can do it.” He then hugged Yev again. “Be brave, kiddo. And before you know it, we’ll be back. Remember that you can call us 2-3 times and we’ll try to get to the phone as much as possible.” 

Mickey got out of bed and hastily got dressed before he made a cup of coffee and then slipped on his shoes. He followed Ian and Yev out of the hotel room and then went to the parking lot with them.

Yev checked to make sure that his pack was in the back of the car and then he gulped and got in the car. 

Ian got in the driver’s side and then began the short drive over to West Point. 

He parked and then Yev tossed his pack onto his back and went to meet with a group of students that he was shuttling over with. 

Mickey grabbed Ian’s hand and then nervously headed over to the parent shuttle and they sat down.

The couple across from them smiled at them. “First day. Big deal. This is our second. If you have any questions feel free to ask us,” The blonde haired woman said.

Ian smiled and extended his hand. “Thanks. I’m Ian, by the way, and this is my husband Mickey.”

“I’m Sandra and that my husband Jason.” 

Jason’s head was leaned against the window and he was asleep. 

Mickey shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.” He looked out the window, thoughts swarming in his head. 

Ian squeezed Mickey’s hand. “You were like this on his first day of school too. He’s going to be fine. He was then and he will be now. This is just a little further away and we won’t really get to talk to him much during this first period of time,” Ian whispered as he kissed Mickey’s cheek. “He’ll be alright.”

The shuttle started and then began to drive. 

Ian nervously looked at Mickey. “I’m scared too, and guess what, it’s okay. This is new for him and us. But he’ll do good since he’s gone through some of the experience before with JROTC.”

A little while later they ended up at the hall where the event was being held. 

They got out of the shuttle and then found Yev with his pack on his back and everything and got in line with him.

Almost too soon, they were taken into the room that would serve as their opening for the day, it’s where they would be getting pamphlets and being told that they made the right choice letting their son come here. 

Ian and Mickey sat next to Yev, surrounded by forty other families as they went through the first portion of orientation.

Mickey squeezed Ian’s hand as he looked at the clock and realized that it was only going to be a few more minutes that they would have with their son. 

At precisely the time Mickey and Ian were dreading, one of the leaders said the dreaded words. “Cadets you have 90 seconds to say goodbye to your family.”

Ian and Mickey wrapped their arms around Yev and they both began to cry. 

“10 seconds left!”

Yev separated from his dads and Ian cupped the young man’s face in his palms. “We’re so proud of you. Stay safe and we’ll see you at acceptance day. You can do this.” He ruffled Yev’s hair and then hugged him again. “We love you, kiddo.”

“Yeah, we do,” Mickey hugged Yev again.

They were torn apart only when the leader shouted. “Times up.”

Yev sighed and made sure to get his pack securely on his back before getting in line and heading out with 39 of his classmates. He looked back at his dads for a moment before disappearing through a set of doors. 

Mickey pulled Ian into a hug and held him as tightly as he could.

Ian hugged Mickey and then lead him out of the theater room and outside. “You wanna go back to the hotel or walk around.”

“Hotel. I don’t think I can stay here for much longer right now and we have to be back at 6:30.”

Ian picked up a packet at a table that held information about who to call and what company Yev was in. He nodded. “Okay, we can go back to the room and relax until we have to go.”

They got onto another shuttle and then went back to the hotel room where they cuddled and cried and worried away until 6:15 when they went back to West Point and sat in the bleachers. 

Mickey was a little more cheerful and so when all the new cadets marched out onto the field he smiled a little and took out his phone to record the Oath of Allegiance Ceremony. 

They couldn’t make out Yevgeny in the swarm of bald men, and women with hair pulled tightly into a bun, dressed in white pressed short sleeve shirts, gray pants, and white gloves, but when the men and women raised their hands and began the oath, Mickey and Ian felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

After the end of the ceremony they retired to their hotel and ordered room service and tried to not think about having Yev away from them and in an intense program.

“Hey, Mick?” Ian asked when the lights were off later that night. 

Mickey looked behind him at Ian, who was currently spooning him. “What?”

“He’ll be okay. He knows what’s coming and he’ll be okay. The school will end us photos of his class sometimes during CBT and...”

“CBT?”

“Cadet Basic Training. That’s what this is. He’s doing Basic Training right now.”

“Oh.”

“Anyways it’s not too long, and we know that the kid will send us letters and we’ll send him some back. We’ll be seeing him again in a little over a month too.”

Mickey nodded. “Never thought it would be so hard to see him go. He just graduated highschool a few weeks ago and now... he’s gone.”

“He’s not gone, just... busy.

Mickey sighed and then closed his eyes and forced himself to go to sleep.

Ian kissed Mickey’s cheek and stroked his hair for a while before falling asleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided not to end this story yet. Maybe I can squeeze out a few more ideas perhaps a lot more. But I'm not going to be able to frequently be updating due to my schedule for the next month and a half. I want to make sure that I'm writing new stuff and not repeating myself and boring everyone. 
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and yeah.   
> Also I didn't know if having a R-Day on July 4th is a thing so I just made it be on a Tuesday instead of a Monday... anywho... yeah I should probably go to bed now, I just realized it's midnight... oops. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading and sticking around! :)


	69. Grace

**December 31st 2033/ January 1st 2034**

 

All the beeping was driving Mickey and Ian crazy as they hurriedly dressed into scrubs.

Past hour and a half had been a nightmare coated with excitement since their surrogate, Anna, had called them to tell them that she hadn’t been feeling movement and that she had been rushed to the hospital by her husband, Kirk. Mickey and Ian had rushed over to the hospital after making sure that Fiona could come over and spend the night since it was eleven thirty at night.

They had found out around eleven forty at night that Anna was going to be rushed into a c-section since their infant was severely struggling. 

And so now, here they were, rushing to go into the operating room at twelve o’ five at night.

They went into the OR in their scrubs and saw Anna lying on the table with a sheet draped in front of her so that she couldn’t see the procedure, which had already been started. 

Mickey and Ian held her cold hands and talked to her. 

“She’s gonna be here so soon,” Ian said happily as he looked over at his husband and then at Anna. “Thank you, Anna.”

Anna smiled. “No problem.” Her voice was a little muffled from the oxygen mask. 

A few moments later, there was a tiny cry and the nurses were carried a bundle over to the warming table and placed a tiny mask over the preemie’s face to help her breath as one said, “It’s a girl! January 1st 12:14 A.M.”

Anna turned her head with her red hair falling into her face a little. “Please, go be with her. I’ll be fine.”

Mickey and Ian nodded and then followed the nurses up to the NICU, but they were stopped by a nurse at the station. They had to sit in the waiting room and wait until the care team was finished with getting her on breathing sorted and getting her attached to all the life saving leads and machines. 

Ian grabbed his phone and his shaky fingers typed Fiona’s phone number and put her on speaker. 

“Hi! Is everything okay?” Fiona asked immediately. 

Ian wasn’t sure what to say, and Mickey didn’t know what to say either. It took Ian a moment, but he said, “We have another daughter.”

The other line was silent for a few seconds. “What?”

Ian cleared his throat and repeated himself. “We have another daughter. She’s in... what I would assume to be critical condition. Didn’t even get to see her.”

“Oh my god,” was all the Fiona said. 

Mickey held Ian’s hand and squeezed it. “That’s all we really know. She’s really early. She’s only 29 weeks gestation. We don’t know much more than that.” He cleared his throat to prevent himself from crying. “She only made a tiny noise. But they are working on her and they are going as fast as they can.”

They talked for a while until a neonatologist came into the waiting room. “Ian and Mickey Milkovich?”

They nodded. 

“I’m Doctor Jansen and I’m the neonatologist on staff tonight.” She sat down next to Mickey. “Your daughter is officially using a CPAP and is breathing with assistance, she’s still critical, but we do have her breathing under control. She’s very lucky because even though she’s what we consider to be a very premature baby, she has a 95% chance of survival. She weighs 2 pounds 10 ounces and 14 inches long, so she is a little girl, but definitely within the typical range for a baby at 29 weeks. We have given her a feeding tube because she will not be able to eat on her own for a while because she will not have the strength to breastfeed yet. She has a line in her umbilical cord for fluids and medication. There are many potential issues that can occur, for instance there’s a risk of Patent ductus arteriosus also known as PDA. It’s when the ductus arteriosus, which is a special blood vessel for a fetus, doesn’t close after birth like normal. If this is the case, then medication or surgery will provide treatment for it. Sepsis is a risk since her immune system is so immature, apnea, anemia, Intraventricular hemorrhage also known as IVH which is when the fragile blood vessels in the brain break, and necrotizing enterocolitis also known as NEC which only occurs in about 5% of all very premature babies.”

“When will we know all about that?” Ian asked worriedly. 

The doctor patted Ian’s hand. “We’ll know further down the line. In a week, we’ll do an ultrasound of her head to see if there’s IVH present, and PDA will be checked for around two weeks from now. You can expect that she will be in the NICU until her original due date. So we are looking at a discharge date in mid March.”

Mickey nodded and tried to not get overly emotional. He was upset that things hadn’t gone according to plan and that their daughter had been delivered so early and with so many major risks pending investigation, it was hard for him to be glad that he had a new daughter in the world. There was just so much worry that had overcome both him and Ian. 

Ian nodded. “But she has a good chance at coming through, right?”

“Yes, she has a 95% chance, but there could be other issues that arise that could change that percentage, such as IVH, PDA, and necrotizing enterocolitis.” 

Ian then rubbed his hand over his face. “Can we go see her?”

It had been almost an hour since she had been delivered and all Ian and Mickey wanted was to go and see her. 

The doctor nodded. “Yes, but please use the hand sanitizer when we go in and take off the OR scrubs.”

Mickey nodded and then him and Ian shed their OR scrubs and threw them out. 

They sanitized their hands multiple times and then they were taken into the NICU and over to a incubator being lit with blue lights. 

A very tiny baby was lying in it with a breathing machine over her nose and a tube coming out of one of her nostrils. There was a tube coming out of her chest and she had a tiny little pink hat on. 

Mickey and Ian teared up as they saw their daughter for the first time.

“She’s so tiny.” Mickey’s hand rested on the opening of the incubator, wanting to open up but not sure if he could.

A nurse came over and he smiled at them. “Hi, my name is George. I’m one of the nurses.” He then checked the monitors. “Feel free to open the ports and touch her if your hands are clean. Just mind the leads and tubes. If she remains stable over the night, then you can hold her tomorrow... kangarooing is what it’s called. It helps with bonding, keeps her temperature up at a good level, and it’s really good for feeding when she’s able to eat via mouth.”

Mickey nodded and then opened one of the ports slowly and reached inside, his hand was much bigger than her head and he realized just how tiny she was. He wasn’t sure where to place his hand, but eventually he placed it near her hand and then slowly placed his pointer finger in her tiny hand which was still too small to hold his finger. 

Ian went to the other side of the incubator and opened the ports. His hand slipped inside and his finger gently stroked her cheek. “She’s so tiny.” 

They stayed like that for awhile and occasionally she moved around and made little noises.

“She doesn’t have a name yet,” Ian mentioned as he continued stroking her cheek. “I still like that name that we almost used for Tori. Feels.. Right.”

“Grace?”

Ian nodded. “It fits.”

Mickey smiled. “I agree.”

“Grace it is,” Ian said excitedly. He then knelt down really close to the incubator. “Hiya, Gracie. Papa and Daddy are here, but we’ll see you later ‘cause you gotta get some rest.”

Mickey nodded and then stroked her cheek before withdrawing his hand. 

Ian did so as well and then took some photos before taking Mickey’s hand and heading out with him to check on Anna. 


	70. Anesthetic

**February 11th 2034**

 

Mickey opened the front door and kissed Tori and Adam’s cheeks. “Alright, have a good day at school. We’ll text you when she’s out and let Fiona know when see can bring you over.”

Tori nodded. “Okay, papa. Give her kisses from us.”

Mickey smiled and nodded. “We’ll do that. Remember that if you want to send something to Yev for his birthday, you have to put it in the box in the kitchen so that we can mail it to him.”

The bus came in front of the house and then Adam and Tori went out to the bus. 

Mickey gathered a bag of his stuff and a few things that Ian, the kids, and him had bought for Grace before leaving the house and driving over to the hospital. He had to go to the children’s hospital in the city, which was rather far away, since Grace had been transferred over there in mid January. There was a little traffic, but finally he made it to the parking lot, parked, and then went into the hospital and up to the NICU. 

“Hi, babe,” Ian said as he saw Mickey enter the room. He was sitting in a rocking chair and Grace was lying against his chest.

Mickey smiled and sat down in a chair next to Ian. “It’s a big day.” His hand smoothed over Grace’s head brushing her sparse brown hair back. 

Grace made a little noise and Ian adjusted the blanket to cover her a little more. 

“It is.” Ian sighed and kissed the top of her head. “Did you remind the kids to put things in the box so that we can send them to Yev?”

Mickey nodded. “Yep, I did.”

Dr. Jansen came over to them and smiled softly. “Big day today.”

Ian nodded. “Yep, big big day.”

“So, I just want to go over what we’re gonna do today. First, we’re gonna take her into the OR after you both get a little more time with her. Then we’re gonna do the PDA closure and because she is still so tiny, we’re going to go through a small incision between her ribs and go in and close the PDA. Then we’ll place the Mic-key button feeding port so that we can get her feeds in without the tube through her nose since she’s getting uncomfortable abrasions and likes to try to pull it.” She then checked the monitor that Grace was connected to. “It’s a simple procedure and we do them frequently. I don’t see anything going wrong, but as you know sometimes things do go wrong, however we will try our very very best.”

Mickey nodded and so did Ian. 

Dr. Jansen then told them that she would come by before surgery and that if they had questions they could get a nurse to get her. 

Once the doctor left, Veronica, a nurse who Mickey and Ian had gotten to know really well, came up to them with a bright smile. “How’s Gracie this morning?”

“She’s doing really well. Gonna have her surgeries today and then hopefully she’ll start getting even better and be able to come home soon,” Ian said as he looked down at the little baby that was lying on his chest. 

“Sounds like a plan. Hopefully the feeding tube will help her start gaining weight,” The nurse said as she checked the IV bag. 

Mickey got a cup of coffee and then brought it over to the free seat next to Ian. 

Grace was busy moving around a little bit and Ian was helping her get adjusted. 

“Why don’t you hold her, Mick?” Ian suggested as he stood up with Grace still pressed to his chest. 

Mickey nodded. “Okay.” 

Ian rested Grace onto Mickey’s chest and then smiled before taking his phone out of his pocket and taking a picture. “You two are so cute.” Ian smoothed Mickey’s hair and then kissed his cheek. 

Mickey kissed Grace’s forehead. “When does she have her follow up hearing test?”

“On Friday, I think.” Ian sat back down and then watched Mickey hold Grace. “We’ll see what the testing says and everything.”

Mickey held Grace until about ten o’clock when the doctors and anesthesiologist came in. The doctor then made them bring her over to the incubator where Ian and Mickey signed documentation allowing the surgery to start. They stroked her tiny hands as the anesthesiologist started to push general anesthesia through her PICC line in her chest. 

Mickey stroked her hair as she slowly drifted off. “See you when you get out of surgery, princess.”

Ian nodded and then they both got to kiss her hand as she was masked. 

A moment later they were standing alone in the room, their baby had been whisked away. 

“Let’s go get something to eat and try to keep our minds as focused as possible on the positive,” Mickey suggested. 

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe that this is already 70 chapters long... oh boy. And it's also almost two years old. Sorry that updates have been slow. I've been going through a lot with school and now I have a early stress fracture in the neck of my femur that's not getting better, so I've been in a lot of pain and not able to focus on writing. 
> 
> I would love to know what else you would like to see in this story. Please let me know if there's something of interest! :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon!


	71. Green Tutu

**March 17th 2034**

 

Ian finished packing up lunches for Adam and Tori just as they came downstairs to eat breakfast.    
Tori poured herself a bowl of cereal and then smiled at Ian. “Grace comes home today!”

Ian nodded as he zipped Adam’s lunch box shut. “Yep. She’s coming home this morning.” He smiled brightly and closed the book that he had been reading while making sandwiches.

“Can I read the book today?” Tori asked as she come over with her bowl of cereal. 

Ian nodded. “Yeah, read to your heart’s content, munchkin. It’s really sweet that you decided to learn.”

Tori picked up the book and shrugged. “So what, she’s my sister and she’s deaf. I want to learn to sign to. Adam learned it, even Yev’s learning.”

Ian picked up a strawberry and put it in his mouth. He ate it and then he put Adam’s lunchbox into his backpack. “She’s technically moderately to severely hearing impaired. We knew that there was a risk when she had to take some antibiotics post-surgery and with her being a preemie.” He put Adam’s breakfast on the table and then he laid out his medication and took it. 

Adam came downstairs and began to eat. 

“Morning, kiddo.” Ian kissed the top of Adam’s head and then ruffled his hair before moving it back into place like Adam liked it. 

Adam didn’t respond as he was reading instead. 

In the past month and a half, Ian and Mickey had watched Adam really blossom into a very voracious reader. He would read through books in a couple hours and he didn’t want to stop either. His schedule now consisted of waking up, reading, eating while reading, going to school and having reading interfere, lunch and reading, school and reading, coming home and reading until 5, watching Animal Planet from 5-6:30, having dinner and reading, doing his homework with one dad, bath, reading, bed. 

Mickey and Ian were thrilled and a little frustrated with Adam’s reading habit. It was great that he was reading but it was also getting in the way and it was getting harder and harder to find really good books for him that were age appropriate. 

Ian tapped the book. “Kiddo, book away. You gotta eat.”

“I don’t want to. I’m just getting to the good part where the baby is about to kill his dad.”

Ian snatched the book away. 

That was another thing that had suddenly developed.  Adam was now becoming a lot more social and even though he struggled a lot and was still a very shy kid, he was excelling in ways that Mickey and Ian had previously thought were impossible. He had even gotten a scholarship to go to a really fancy private school for being an excellent student and excelling in his studies.

“What are you reading?” Ian looked at the cover and sighed. “You’re not allowed to read from Yev’s book collection. How many times have Papa and I told you that? And  _ Pet Sematary  _ is not appropriate.” He put the book on top of the fridge. “Maybe Papa or I can take you to the library after school, or you can go during lunch.” He picked up his coffee and sipped it. “But no more books from Yev’s room.”

“But Yevy said that I could read them!” Adam said as he stood up at the table angrily.

Ian glared at Adam. “I’ve already told you that you’re not allowed to, so sit down and eat, young man!” Ian sternly replied as he put his coffee cup back down and then put the book on top of the fridge. 

Adam stormed off and then grabbed his backpack and left the house to go sit at the bus stop down the street. 

Ian rested his head in his hands and then Tori announced that she was leaving and soon everything was quiet until Raskol came up to his and rested his head in Ian’s lap. Ian pet the family dog and scratched his head. “Four kids at home today for the first time.” He sighed and then stood up and grabbed his backpack and the diaper bag that him and Mickey had carefully packed the other day. 

 

An hour later he entered the NICU and saw Mickey sitting in a rocking chair with their daughter dressed in a white onesie and green tutu with a little green headband with a little bow on it. 

“Happy Saint Patrick's day, and Happy Going Home day,” Mickey said with a smile when he saw Ian. He picked up their daughters hand and waved it at Ian. “We’re ready to go home.” 

Ian came over and smiled before he ran his finger over Grace’s soft hair. “Papa’s tired of the hospital and I bet you are too, huh?” He tucked her hearing aid into the right spot. “I like her little tutu.”

Mickey chuckled. “A lady from the North Side came up with a group of women and they delivered them this morning.” He then scoffed. “Did a little prayer and everything when they heard that she was coming home today and that she had two dads.” He let out a short laugh. “Coulda been blessed by the leprechauns instead or some shit.” 

Ian laughed and then smiled. “Well, I guess that we can thank them for making her look all pretty.” He pressed a kiss to Mickey’s forehead and then one to their daughter’s head. He then laughed. “You won’t believe what Adam was reading this morning.”

Mickey looked at Ian with a knowing smirk. “Let me guess, he was reading something inappropriate.”

“Yes, but it gets better. So, I tell him to put the book away when he was eating breakfast and then he wouldn’t listen and he says ‘but I’m just at the part where the baby kills his dad’, and so I snatch the book away and it was  _ Pet Sematary _ . The kid’s ten going on eleven and he’s reading Stephen King.” He shook his head. “I told him that he’s not supposed to be going into Yev’s room and reading his books. I don’t want him to be scared by them.”

“Ian, he’s a kid. If he reads them and has nightmares, then that’s what happens. We can’t really protect him from scary books and he’ll just read ‘em anyways. When I was his age I wasn’t even reading, so maybe this is fine and maybe he’s a little more advanced in reading and understanding that what he reads is either fiction or non-fiction.” Mickey shrugged. “I don’t see the problem. If he has nightmares or questions about what he’s reading, we’ll talk about it.”

Ian nodded. “Okay, but if he has nightmares, it’s your fault.” He ruffled Mickey’s hair. 

“Fine.” Mickey’s hand ran over Grace’s head before he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.  “Her stomach is a lot happier today since we got her tube changed.” 

Dr. Jansen came over to them with a bright smile. “Happy day! She’s going home!”

Ian smiled and nodded. “Yeah, we’re really excited to have her come home.” 

“She’s a little sweetheart, that’s for sure.” The doctor then pulled up a chair. “So, she’s going to still be on the feeding tube for awhile, and we’re not entirely sure when she will be able to eat on her own. Her primary care physician and the gastro doc will want to see her about everything two months just to make sure that everything is going alright and to check the tubes and everything. If there are issues, it’s better to call the gastro nurse and see what they say. We’ll be taking the PICC line out soon and then she’ll have her car seat check and you guys are free to leave with her. The nurses compiled a list of her feeding times and the feeding speeds for her pump, and there’s also a list for her auditory appointments to get new ear molds taken every month, so that her hearing aids fit properly and all.”

Mickey nodded and then he checked the feeding pump. “Not too much longer.”

Within an hour, Grace was fully fed and the car seat had been evaluated and Mickey and Ian said goodbye to all the nurses and they were out of there. 

Ian happily pushed the stroller as they finally exited the hospital. “Today’s a good day. Our family is finally a hundred percent complete.” He then looked over at Mickey and smiled. “No more babies.”

Mickey nodded. “Yeah, no more babies. Definitely no more.” He then kissed Ian’s cheek and smiled. “No more hospital either.”

They reached the car and excitedly put Grace in together as an elderly couple smiled at them from the bench nearby. 

Ian got into the drivers seat and Mickey sat in the back with their daughter. “It feels a little weird, bringing her home. Feels like we are stealing her somehow and yet she’s our baby and we’re allowed to take her home.”

“I feel the same way. Kinda like someone is going to take her and make her stay here in the hospital.” 

Ian paid for their parking and then they were on the way home. 

Mickey and Ian spent all day on the couch just holding Grace close and enjoying their time alone with her. No monitors beeping, no nurses to interrupt, just them and their baby. 

At four o’clock, the front door swung open and they were almost instantaneously bombarded by Tori and Adam. 

Mickey smiled. “Hi, guys.”

Tori excitedly patted Grace’s head. “Gracie is home.” She then giggled. “I like her green tutu. Did papa pick it out?”

Ian laughed and then shook his head. “No, some ladies came by this morning and were giving them out to all the babies in the NICU.”

“Papa, tell daddy that I can read  _ Pet Sematary _ ! I’m not little!” Adam exclaimed as he put his bag down. 

Mickey chuckled. “I already talked to him and we agreed that you can read it.” He got up from the couch and then went into the kitchen to give Adam his book back. “If you have nightmares, come talk to me or dad.”

Adam shook his head. “I won’t. I’ll just give them to Grace since she won’t remember them.”

Mickey burst out laughing and kissed the top of his son’s head. 

Yeah, they were definitely home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took forever to be posted. I've been in a major writing rut for awhile and I finally finished this chapter after working on it for at least two weeks. 
> 
> Hopefully there will be another chapter posted soon! :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to suggest anything that you would like to see in the future installments!


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